Flight of the Raven
by Alicia Marianne
Summary: While Harry Potter lives his fifth year at Hogwarts, elsewhere, a Dark Lord is plotting his demise. But the Dark Lord has a weapon more powerful than anyone would dare suspect. And no matter where his weapon flees, everything must return to its source...
1. The Raven

"Raven!" Red screamed, his blood-red hair plastered onto his face from sweat. The black-haired girl turned around and, looking from the store's broken window, she saw the flash of police car lights.

Quickly she grabbed the expensive shoes they had broken in to steal and then bolted towards her friend.

Red grabbed her arm and both jumped out of the broken window, as the police cars came flying down the street, sirens ablaze.

Both teens ran quickly, passing several blocks, before finally turning left and dashing into an alley. The sirens sounded in their backs, as the cars stopped, lights still flashing, and a few men came out, hoping to catch the runaways.

But Raven and Red had lived on the streets a very long time, and they knew them better than the cops. Within seconds, both were beyond reach, hidden in a small crevasse in the brick wall of a building, where the shadows made sure they could not be seen.

Both were breathing hard trying to calm their beating hearts, but as the cops passed, running, guns out, they held their pant and waited. Soon, the sounds of footsteps died away and both kids were alone again, stuck in that small crack next to a dumpster.

Red had his arms around Raven's waist, and he could feel the girl sigh and finally relax, releasing every tense, escape-ready muscle in her body.

"Close one." He muttered into her ear.

To his dismay, the girl suddenly burst out laughing, squirming out of the gap. Frowning, the blood-red-haired boy followed her, wondering what was so terribly funny. He had never come this close to being caught, and never had he seen cops readying their guns over theft.

He grabbed her by one arm, and forced her to face him. Slowly, Raven calmed down, and looked into his dark brown eyes. But Red wasn't able to withhold her terrible red gaze, and quickly let her go, shrugging.

"I don't think you realize how close we came to getting caught this time." He mumbled, stealing another glance at her. He really liked Raven: she was very pretty, with long, natural black hair (Red had never liked girls with colored hair), furious red eyes that were unbearable when she was angry, and dead-pale skin that never tanned, no matter the time she spent in the sun.

Also, her face distantly reminded that of a snake, although that didn't make her any less pretty. Usually, she wore dark clothes; like now: she had a black tube top she had stolen a week ago and long black jeans she wore most of the time. Sometimes she added an expensive black trench coat to the rest, and it made her look even more beautiful and mysterious.

The boy had no idea how long she had lived on the streets, or who her parents were, if she herself knew them. He knew nothing about her, only that she was sixteen, turning seventeen at the end of the month of August, which was in three months. And that was all he needed.

Raven smirked.

"Yeah, I realize. But I don't worry: I live for the thrill of danger." She answered slyly, doing a twirl with the stolen shoes in her hands, her long hair flying around her pale face. Red smiled softly.

"And what if you were caught?" He asked in a low voice, coming closer to her. He tried to grab her again around the waist, but like a shadow, she slipped from his grip and smiled.

"I'd run away."

And with a swish, she turned around and ran down the alley, laughing.

Red snapped out of his confusion at what had happened and followed her quickly, taking the side alley she had disappeared into.

Raven looked over her shoulder and saw him following, so she continued laughing, as if calling to him. The two ran together into the night, and neither noticed a caped figure disappearing into thin air with a 'pop'.

(0)

Right in front of the old warehouse their gang had for a home, Red caught her. But he suspected she had let him, just this once.

Nonetheless, he held her tightly as she laughed on happily, gasping for air after their run. Raven pressed her forehead against his chest, calming down a bit. Her mirth was now nothing but a low giggle. It was a lovely sound, like music to Red's ears.

Neither said a thing, and for a moment, they just stood there, listening to the distant sounds of night and cars in the city, letting silence crawl around them calmly.

Finally it was Raven that broke the silence.

"Let's go inside. I'm tiered." She declared, breaking free from his grasp and walking up to the rusty door. With a mighty heave, she pulled it open and it squeaked sinisterly. The girl disappeared into the darkness inside, with a grin over her shoulder. Red followed.

As soon as he stepped into the 'home', his joy seemed to die suddenly; the place was terribly depression, and no matter how long he had lived there, it was still as sad as ever. It was one of those things you never got used to.

There were many guys, in age varying from fourteen to twenty and two twin girls that were sixteen years old. Most of them were junkies, addicted to all sort of shit, and all those who were, were stoned right now.

Many mattresses had been laid down in the large room, on the dusty floor, and the teens were splayed on them, either sleeping or daydreaming. No one looked happy of his or her situation, and everyone seemed terribly depressed.

That depression spread onto Red like poison. But as he followed Raven, he noted that, as always, she seemed untouched by the misery around her, and even looked like she was in her element; it was weird, but it was one of the things that convinced the young man that she had lived all her life in tough conditions, and was simply used to it.

None of the others here had always led lives like these; once, they had been someone, and they had watched their life spiral and spin until they lost control over it.

Falling on a filthy mattress in the corner, next to the raven-haired girl, he sighed, and saw her nest herself comfortably against the wall. Already her eyes were shutting, her hands still locked on the shoes they had stolen earlier.

"Raven?" He asked softly, trying not to disturb a heroin addict that slept next to them, a needle clutched in his hand.

"Hm?" She answered softly, eyelids half-covering her red irises.

"Have you always been living like this?" He risked.

There was a moment of silence before the girl answered. It seemed she was pondering her reply.

"Yes."

And Raven shut her eyes, trying to fall asleep.

(0)

Of course, that was a lie. She hadn't ALWAYS been living like this. Sure, her childhood was dark and hard, but she hadn't always been on the streets, alone, with no one to fend for but herself.

Because Raven was a proud being, that would help someone if she could. But if things go too dangerous, or if she had the choice between saving her life and saving someone else's, she would leave even her closest friend to their faith without regret. She knew there was no point in trying to save one if there was a chance of being caught herself.

Perhaps that trait came from her dark life. Or maybe she was just born with it.

Raven had no memory of her parents, and she had never heard about any relations she might have, whenever close or distant. All she knew was that her mother had been raped, and had ran from England to America, where she had given birth to her. The very day of her birthday, Raven's mom had committed suicide.

The day her mom had passed away, Raven had been sent to an orphanage by the hospital, and had been soon adopted by a nice couple that wanted a child.

Until she was two, the girl lived with them, and they loved her a lot. But then there came the problems.

Her foster father lost his job, and the couple went through much stress. And either time her foster parents would fight over their situation, Raven would get scared or angry. But when she felt those feelings, very strange things would happen.

Once, a nearby chair burst into flames when she broke into tears, and another time, all the plates on the table cracked in half when her foster dad raised his hands to hit her foster mom.

It wasn't long before the pair realized something was strange with their girl.

Finally, one day, they simply took her out, and left her alone in an alley to die.

And she would have, if an old woman hadn't noticed the two fleeing parents and went to see what they were running from. When she saw the little raven-haired girl, alone amongst the trash, still wondering what had happened, she decided to take her in.

But Penelope, the old woman, was very poor, and social services were always on her back, trying to get her out of her dirty little apartment and into a helping home. But the woman stood strong, and for three years she lived rather in peace with her adopted girl, loving her and caring for her, and not once did the little girl show signs of having any strange powers.

Until one day, when two men from the social services came in by force into the scrappy little apartment along with two cops. That day, Raven's fury came, immense and unstoppable, as the unwanted people badgered her guardian.

To her five-year-old eyes, she had to do everything to protect her savior, and so, she came forth, and in a flash of green, all four strangers dropped dead.

But the shook had been too great for Penelope, and she had a heart attack, and ended up in the hospital, only to die that same night. Raven was alone again.

The young girl had grown smart enough to understand that if she didn't run, she would be found and adopted again, which was something she didn't want. Inside her tiny mind, she still hated her former parents for leaving her out in an alley.

So Raven left the hospital in which Penelope had died, and joined the streets. There, she may have been alone, but she was free.

Again, the girl would have died, not knowing anything about survival, or the laws of the streets, but again, her luck brought her a young boy named Pup.

Pup was two years older than she was, and far more arrogant. His father was a popular drug dealer on the streets and decided to take her in and take care of her, teaching her a thing or two about writing or survival.

Raven grew in that environment, befriending Pup and a few of his friends. Life was hard, but she loved the way things went, having grown up with these kinds of problems all her life.

And even though she didn't know it, Dawg, Pup's father, always made sure she was safe, and out of the mistrusting reach of anyone on the streets. He made sure she wasn't abused or raped, like he had once been, long ago, when he was child. Raven learned to like him a lot.

But never did she tell him or Pup her real name, which she had learned from the social workers when they came to Penelope once.

She kept it secret because her real name was something she hated: it belonged to a man who had raped her mom (she didn't know why her mother had signed papers, agreeing for her child to keep her father's name) and it reminded her that once, she had had actual parents, and for reasons she did not yet understand, they had left her.

It was Pup who called her Raven, when they first met. He had said: "Hey, watcha doing there, raven girl?" and the girl had shrugged carelessly. They had become friends that day, because Pup had shown kindness and nonchalance when talking to her.

After living under Dawg's wing until she was thirteen, the girl finally decided to leave her mentor and friend to face life on the streets.

From then on, her life was just the same old things day after day: steal, sell, buy food, and find a place to sleep. The only changes and excitements came from the closeness of being caught or the terrible dares one gang could propose to the other.

Raven's natural cunning and careful nature had permitted her an easy life on the streets; besides; she had learned how to steal, seduce and trick from Dawg and it had dearly paid off.

At the age of fourteen, her slyness had allowed her to join the Silver gang, and even though she wasn't often with the members, sometimes she slept at their base, in the warehouse, always ready to bolt and save her own skin in case of danger.

The girl was a bit selfish, but if you weren't out here on the streets, death or capture were imminent.

So was the life of Raven of the Silver gang; always dark, but not always on the streets. And so was life the way she enjoyed it.

Smirking in her sleep, the raven-haired girl rolled up in a tight ball, finally releasing the shoes in her hand, and allowing them to fall next to her on the mattress.

Red smiled down at her lovingly, wondering what she was dreaming about.

(0)

Second Harry Potter story (first one didn't work out), so please go easy on me. I hope you liked it, and as always, reviews and comments appreciated. No death threats please.

Next chapter, Raven gets a note from someone who claims to know her father. She is asked to meet him or her in a dark warehouse at the edge of the city. She has all reasons not to go, except that the person mentions her real name. . .


	2. Nobody's home

Morning had long since befallen the Silver warehouse when Raven finally woke.

As soon as her eyes opened, she realized she was alone. Everyone, including Red, had left. It was only natural: everyone was looking for things to steal or people to beg, and the first ones up made the best money.

But the girl had allowed herself an extended sleep because she already had a lot of money stocked up for food (and the drugs she bought and re-sold afterwards; she herself wasn't much of an addict) and didn't need to find more. Plus, she had those shoes that she had stolen the night before.

Looking beside her, Raven saw that Red at least had the decency to leave the Nikes to her, seeing as how she was the one to steal them. Besides, she honestly doubted that the slightly fearful and naïve boy would have even thought of taking the expensive shoes for himself. . . because she indeed had a rare gift of sensing who people really were, which allowed her to pick the right people to hang with: all with weaknesses she could pick on, all disoriented by their sudden loss of home and all dependant on her. She could see people who could fend for themselves a mile away, and stayed clear of their path, because they were strong and wouldn't follow her around like dogs.

Raven yawned loudly, and stretched. She looked around the warehouse, at the beams of light that fell through the broken windows and showed the swirling dust, at the filthy floor and the many mattresses that were used as beds. She smiled at the sinister home, finding comfort in it, because she felt like she was in her element. The girl was sure she'd feel awkward in a rich house, or a just about any house, because as far as her memory reached, her home had been dark and very closely related with everything that happened on the streets.

The raven-haired girl got up slowly, stretching again, and looked down at the shoes she had stolen, and then at her own feet. The sneakers she wore were tattered and filthy, and with a sudden shrug, she kicked them off and proceeded with putting the new ones on.

She hadn't stolen the Nikes for money or anything: just for the pleasure of stealing and for the thrill of a good chase. They were hers now, and she decided she'd rather keep them for herself.

Finally she straightened, feet relaxing in their new envelope, and with a determined step, headed towards the door.

All she needed now was a shower. . .

(0)

Raven glanced over her shoulder, and seeing how there was no one in the parking lot of the old motel, she kneeled beside the door to room eleven and started to pick the lock with a hairpin.

Twisting and turning, it took her mere seconds to get the simple lock open. With a click, the door swung inwards and the girl quickly got inside, before shutting it again.

The motel might be old and not often occupied, but there were still chances she'd get caught inside, and that would be very bad. Raven knew her time was counted.

So rapidly, she removed her coat and threw it on the bed, before shutting the curtains in front of the window to keep any unwanted eyes out of the room. Then, she kicked her brand new Nikes off and walked towards the adjacent bathroom in her black pants and black tube top.

Her socks went flying and landed next to the sink, and the rest of her clothes followed.

Raven faced the small shower, and slowly turned the tap until water came flowing out. She adjusted it to the right temperature and then turned the faucet that connected the shower, releasing the water from above her head.

She stepped in and sighed.

(0)

Raven prowled the busy streets with sure feet, keeping her hands loose in her pockets and her gaze down not to attract any attention. She had just swiped a new sleeveless shirt and looked even less like a delinquent. People paid no attention to her as she passed them, and she liked it that way: the less the community thought about her, the better.

She passed an alley and looked up. There, a rich young boy was being mugged by the Blue gang.

Knowing better than to interfere with the powerful Blue street mob, the girl shrugged and continued her way as if nothing had happened. That was the way things were: if you couldn't fend for yourself, you either found someone who could protect you or got everyone's bullshit.

Street people could smell weakness a mile away, and if you were weak, there was no way you'd escape.

The girl continued her way, and, knowing there was not much she could do this day, she decided to find a quiet place to rest at for the rest of the sunlight hours, thinking of how she had joined her own gang. Like any other street band first initiation, they should have beaten her half to death before accepting her. But no one in her gang even got to lay a finger on her. She owned them all with ease and the leader almost bowed down before her. She was powerful, and they knew it; they wanted her.

Raven smirked.

(0)

Parks were too populated, especially at day. Plus, that's where cops looked for runaway kids the most. In a mall, she would get spotted, or tempted to steal more stuff, and would pull on the string too much, until shit happened.

Cops who thought they could capture kids there in the middle of day probably surveyed the Silver warehouse, and as for schoolyards, Raven stayed clear of those altogether. She didn't like seeing all those kids playing around, living a childhood she had never had; it made her a bit jealous.

There was one last place to go to: a dark spot under a large bridge that was occupied by beggars and other street kids. It was quiet, and since it was in the 'darker' part of the city, no one really wanted to go see it.

She walked the streets, blending in with the crowd, her gaze always down, hands in her black pant's pockets. Raven passed many people, and if she would have looked up for a spilt seconds, she would have seen a blond man with a sleek, pointed face and long blond hair look at her and smirk, before vanishing unnaturally into thin air with a 'pop'.

But Raven did not look up, and she did not see him. She simply continue her way along the street, going down the street, towards the bridge.

At long last she reached it.

It stood over the river like a God, bending slightly, extending with might no one could compare. For a moment the girl stayed speechless, watching the great thing, and seeing, as immobile as it was, that it had some kind of life in it.

Finally she snapped out of her strange reverie and walked slowly down the sandy shores, towards the place where the bridge took root.

It was a tall column at the edge of the water bank, and men, women and kids sat or stood there, talking, sleeping or mumbling to themselves. Raven found her way amongst them, supporting the few gazes that dared to challenge her. She found a spot against the column next to a girl that was sitting with her legs against her chest and her arms locked around them.

She was gazing absently at the water as it crashed onto the edge of the shore. Raven looked at the water as well, feeling it sooth her. The young girl suddenly said something, although Raven wasn't sure if she was aware that she was talking.

"I'd like to go back home. . .I want to go back to my house. . .I'd really want to be back; this place is too dark for me. I was never meant for the streets. . .but there's nobody home. . ." And the girl burst into tears. Raven made no move to comfort her, or even look at her. She continued gazing at the waters, aware that a few people were glancing nervously in their direction. But just like those people, Raven knew that the girl would get up in a few minutes and then, cold as stone and determined, would walk up the bridge by the passage for the people and upon reaching it's highest point, would walk up to the edge and without another gaze down, would let herself drop.

As that thought ended in the black-haired girl's head, the other one stopped crying and slowly got up, a vacant expression on her face. As predicted, she walked slowly around the large column and made her way up the bridge, cars passing at her side.

Raven also got up and dusted her pants, before quickly setting out like most of the people, before the cops would come, alerted by the suicide of one depressed girl.

(0)

She had walked the streets for the rest of the day, and by the time night had fallen, she was far from the Silver warehouse. Raven judged it safer to return to her 'home', before all other street gangs got out on the streets and she put herself in danger. She was strong, but not invincible; even though she could fight, there was little she could do against knives and guns.

Walking back took her about half an hour. But she was lost in thoughts, and her feet carried her automatically so to her, time did not even pass, and suddenly she found herself in front of the large dark door leading to the Silver warehouse.

She reached out a hand to grab the handle, but just then, she noticed a piece of paper jammed in the crack of the door.

Raven grabbed the paper, frowning, and pulled it out with a dry yank.

There was little light, but she clearly saw that it was a Kraft-paper envelope with something written on it in green ink.

Looking closer, she tried to make out the words. . .

And suddenly, Raven gasped and threw down the letter as if it were poison. It fell so that the letters were still readable. And even at this distance, as she took a step, she could see who the letter was addressed to:

LIS TROMG MARVOLO RIDDLE.

That was her real, birth name. She hadn't used it in over fourteen years.

And it was shining at her from a small envelope lying on the ground.

(0)

Tadaa! Cliffy! If you can't figure out what her name means (if you switch the letters around) I'll explain it in the next chapter. Hope you like this. On with the review(s).

Xsummerbabyx: Thanks. It's fun to know that someone is actually jealous of something about me! Lol. Hope you like this chappy!

Next chapter, Raven decides to confront the sender of this mysterious letter. But what he will reveal to her will be as unbelievable as it will be dangerous, and she will find her entire world change.


	3. Lis Tromg Marvolo Riddle

Raven glared at the letter. Her name shone at her from it, the green ink glinting in the pale light of a nearby street lamp.

The girl breathed in deeply, and calmed down, getting over the shock of seeing the name for the first time in over fourteen years. She had learnt it around the age of two, and now, she was sixteen. It had been long. . .

"Alright. . .relax; you haven't even read the letter and you're spazzing off. . .just pick it up; it won't explode. . ." She muttered, slowly reaching out to the envelope. Quickly she scooped it off the ground and held it at a safe distance from her face.

Slowly, she turned it around, and her name finally vanished from her sight. The letter was sealed in an old, wax-seal type of way. The clasp was the same green color as the ink, and when she looked from the right angle, she could swear there was a snake embroiled in it. . .

Passing a nail under the seal, with a flick, she opened the envelope. She pulled out a single sheet of Kraft paper and unfolded it. Raven brought it to her face and began to slowly read.

'Miss Tromg Marvolo Riddle,

We have never met, but I know much about you. Honestly, I am quite happy to at last have found you; we have searched for you for over two years now.

But there is little I can tell you in a letter. What we must speak of can only be said in private. Therefore, I ask you to meet me in the old abandoned warehouse near the south river of the city.

I know you have all reasons not to come, but there is one thing I must talk to you about: your father. There is something you must know about him; something I can only tell you if I am sure to be talking to the right person.

See you at the warehouse tonight at midnight, hopefully.

Sincerely yours.' She read. Scanning the letter over once again, Raven noted that there was no signature, but the writing seemed male-like.

She dropped her hand with the letter and sighed. She looked around for a moment, pondering her decision to the letter.

The writer was right; she had all reasons not to go. . .however, he did mention her father. . .plus he knew her real name. . .Raven didn't like this at all, considering it was reckless indeed, but what choice did she have? She could skip this opportunity to learn so much about herself and go on living life without knowing something that she could have so easily found out. . .

Suddenly, the girl scoffed. Of course she would go! After all; she was Raven; the girl that fought and could fend for herself: if she got into any trouble, she'd get herself out. Plus, she needed to know what the writer wanted to talk about, or curiosity would feed on her for ever.

Raven tucked the letter into her leather jacket and turned away from the Silver warehouse without another thought, stepping into the darkness of night with a determined step.

And each step brought her closer to doom. . .

(0)

The abandoned warehouse the sender of the letter was talking about was a large, solitary depot standing in a deserted port, on the edge of a large river. That's where Raven arrived at a few minutes before midnight.

She had ran most of the way, and upon seeing the warehouse in the distance, had slowed down to catch her breath.

Now, she was walking up to the large metallic door that led inside. Through one grimy window she saw the flickering light of a single candle, and it picked up her interest. She then pushed her weight against the door and it swung inward with a soft lament.

The girl stepped inside carefully, lifting up her eyes to in time to see three figures rising to their feet from a sitting position around the candle. The flame flickered in their movement, and their long capes bristled as they looked into the shadows and at her, wondering if she was the right person. Raven walked forward as calmly as she could, and stepped into the faint circle of light.

As soon as she came into profile, one of the figures, the one and only woman, gasped. Her hand flew to her chest and she took a step back, starling Raven. The two others, both men, simply shifted gently.

"My. . .she. . .she looks so much like him. . ." The woman gasped. Raven noted that her voice sounded cold and hollow. One of the men nodded under his hood. The other came forward.

"Welcome, Lis. We have waited." He said. His voice was terribly cold, like a freezing blast of wind. Raven's heart felt chilled. But she also felt a great ability to manipulate others in him. She would have to be careful with this one.

"My name is. . .Raven. . ." She said softly. Her voice echoed around the room, intimidating her slightly. The woman seemed to have recovered from her initial shock and she scoffed, taking a step forward. But when Raven shot her a glare, she quickly shrunk back, as if trying to disappear.

The man shook his head gently. "No, your name is Lis. It has always been, and it still is."

Raven wanted to protest, but now she was annoyed, and also wanted to get this over with, so she just shrugged carelessly and glared at them all. The girl waited for someone to continue. The man saw she was complying, so he began.

"I have told you in that letter that I needed to speak of your father. It is all a rather. . .complicated situation. Especially for someone like you, you wouldn't understand. . ." But she cut him off rudely.

"And just what wouldn't I understand?" Her voice was cruel and cold.

The man sighed. "That is the problem. You do not know the truth.' He paused and without a word Raven continued to watch him. The man resumed. 'Well I suppose that the easy part is this: your father is still alive. That's not something you knew, I suppose. But here's the tricky part: he wasn't exactly alive until two years ago. . .'

'I suppose I should start at the beginning. The first thing you must know is that your father is a wizard, and your mother was a witch. (Raven scoffed rudely, but the man ignored her and she continued to listen, somehow unable to call him liar or crazy. . .like this was true, and she knew it. . .) But for reasons we do not know, you were not accepted into any school of witchcraft like you should have been, at the age of eleven. You were not once tracked down or asked to join any school, lest it be here or in England. You were treated like a Muggle. . .that's what we call non-magical people, by the way. . ." The man added, seeing the look on Raven's face.

"Your father would have come to look for you, but shortly after your first birthday, he was destroyed. Now here's the strange part: your father is an extremely powerful and dark wizard, and all the most powerful mages that have tried to destroy him have failed. Yet that one night almost fifteen years ago, someone succeeded. And that someone was a one-year-old boy called. . .Harry Potter." The man suddenly stopped, because Raven had burst into laughter. It was fake, insulting laughter, as if she was trying to convince herself that none of this was real in the process of making fun of them.

"You expect me to believe that? You must be crazy, or something! First of all, if witches and wizards exist, how come you can't do any tricks? How about you show me some magic, eh?" She mocked.

But even though she did not see it, the man smiled under his hood.

And out of his pocket he flung a long, thin piece of wood. Raven stopped laughing, staring at it, wondering what he was about to do. To her dismay, he waved it gently in the air and muttered this simple word:

"Lumos."

And an incredible blast of blinding light exploded through the warehouse. Raven covered her eyes and waited for the light to fade, a few seconds later. She then looked up, startled.

The man put the wand away and looked at her calmly from under his hood. The girl could remember catching a glimpse of a pale, pointed face and blond hair right before that blast became too much to bare. She also saw a set of hollow, life-less eyes looking at her from under the woman's hood.

"Do you believe now, Lis?" The blond man asked. Still under shock, Raven nodded slowly. He continued.

"So as I was saying, for thirteen years your father simply roamed the world, not human enough to die and yet not strong enough to live. Many times he hoped of returning to this world in a body, but that boy, Harry Potter, ruined each time. Until two years ago, when at last that wretched boy was caught, and your father returned to power. However the Potter boy escaped, to your father's great anger.'

'Since then a few of us learned that you still lived theses parts, and we have been searching for you. And I am very glad to see we have at last found you, Lis." This time, she just knew he was smiling.

"But. . .'The girl staggered. 'How can you know that I'm. . .me. . .I mean; the one you're looking for?"

He bowed his head and the two others stepped back a little.

"You see, Lis; your father's real name was Tom Marvolo Riddle. But the name he gives himself now is. . .don't make me repeat this, for it is very feared by his allies and enemies alike. . .Voldemort. There. Now, not only is your real family name Marvolo Riddle, but see this as well. . ."

He whipped out his wand again, and began drawing letters in mid-air. Raven gasped when actual, sparkly green letters appeared there where his wand passed. Like that, he wrote her entire name and it stayed there, floating around.

"Now watch." He ordered.

Suddenly, he passed his wand over LIS TROMG MARVOLO RIDDLE, and the words re-arranged to form. . .

Raven gasped, unable to believe it. . .

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT'S GIRL.

(0)

Woot! There's the letter re-arrangement. I over-did myself on this one! And BTW, I just found out that my IQ is 122. Oh yeah! I'm soo good! On with the reviews.

Quizgirl: Lol; I switched the letters around for you. Comes out pretty weird, eh? I t took me a while to get the name and phrase to work. And her name is kind of weird and hard to pronounce, but eh, who cares?

And as for if Raven and Harry will meet, you'll just have to wait and see, because this is a prequel to the seventh year in Hogwarts. I'm waiting for the sixth book to come out so I know exactly what happens.

And as for how I update so often, the secret it: I have loads of time to loose: )

Xsummerbabyx: Well, you're not the only one anymore! Even though this story isn't that popular, I've decided to go through with it, because the idea at the end of the line is just too good not to write! Thanks for the reviews!

Next chapter, Raven finds out why her father was so desperate to get her back. But what he wants her to do doesn't sound all that much fun. . .she has no choice but to run. . .but you can never run from Death Eaters. . .


	4. No choice

NOTE: I try to minimize typos and all general errors, and I usually re-read a chapter before posting it, but since nobody is perfect, and I'm nobody (sorry. . .had to say it. . .) I usually have a few mistakes left behind. If you notice any of these, please specify what I wrote wrong, what chapter it is in and about where in the story it is situated. Or just copy-paste the paragraph in which the error is into a review ( and tell me there is a mistake in there somewhere), and I'll correct it as soon as I can! Please help me in my fight against errors. . . I'd really appreciate it!

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Raven could not believe it. . . this was so un-real, and yet everything pointed to the truth. . . her father really WAS a dark wizard, and she was probably a witch. . . and on top of that, three other magical people stood before her calmly, after announcing her all the truth. . .

The girl staggered back a step and quickly caught her balance. She gazed at the witch and two wizards. Before them, her name, re-arranged to form the sentence 'I AM LORD VOLDEMORT'S GIRL' was fading slowly, and the green light the letters produced was dying away.

"This is so. . ." Raven did not even bother to finish her sentence. Question swirled in her head and confusion over took her. Yet she was not in denial: she fully accepted this, because it was as amazing and awesome as it was strange.

Finally she managed to gather her thoughts and sighed, trying to stay in control of her emotions. She decided to ask a few questions and get some answers out of these people before jumping to any conclusions.

"Alright. . .so, can you tell me why. . .why I didn't go to any magic school? I mean, I know you aren't sure, but what's your opinion?" She backed away to a nearby column and rested her back against it, as her world slowly stopped spinning.

The blond man that had spoken came forth a bit, to be closer to her. The two others followed him and the lonely candle flickered sadly.

"Well,' The blonde started. 'I don't think it is because you have no magic powers. . .we have looked into the files of Ministry of America and there have been reports about you breaking things and accidentally setting them on fire with your powers. That's normal and typical for a magic child, if her or she is angry or scared. It might be because they knew who your father was, and feared you would be like him one day. . .so they must have decided to keep you in the shadows. . ." He shrugged.

Raven nodded slowly. "Ok. . .that's strange but . . .whatever. . .and, uh, who do you mean by 'they'? And who is this Ministry of America?"

This time the woman spoke up. The girl remembered her hollow eyes and decided that her voice matched their emptiness.

" 'They' are the Ministry of Magic of America. Every country has their Ministry; to make sure Muggles don't find out that wizards exist. It's very important, or else Muggles would want us to help them, and solve all their problems, and honestly, we have better to do that bother with THEM." She put a cruel emphasis on the last 'them'. Raven did not like the hate that rung through the woman's voice when she spoke of normal people.

She still had a few more questions to go. "I . . . see. Well, you told me all about my dad, and how you knew him and all. . .but who the Hell are you people?" Instinctively she braced herself, as if expecting an attack.

She knew that people always showed their true forms when they were questioned on who they were.

The blonde man pulled down his hood and out came a long, shiny mane of silvery hair, cold gray eyes and a pointed, snobby face.

"I am Lucius Malfoy." He said softly, watching as Raven's eyes flew wide open. The woman came next. She removed her heavy hood and the girl trembled silently, as those dark, empty eyes stared at her almost hungrily. Long black hair fell around the woman's face, making her look like a mad criminal. Yet Raven thought that she once must have been someone very beautiful, for her features bore marks of great prestige. Yet those marks had been faded and erased, and now there stood a woman with a heart of ice. . .or not heart at all.

"I am Bellatrix Lestranges." She smirked softly.

The third man removed his hood at last and Raven saw an aged face, with grayish hair, but by his posture, she could tell he was probably in a better shape than she was.

"And I am Walden Macnair." He said. It was the very first time he had spoken this night and Raven noted that his voice was grave yet very cold, like that of the two others.

Lucius took another step forward. "We are the Death Eaters, followers of your father, and terribly feared in the Magic community." He said.

The girl suddenly felt confined; like she was trapped. Stealing a quick glance at the door, she calculated, just in case, the speed and dash she would need to get the Hell out of here. Her glance went unseen by the three others, thankfully for her.

A bit nervous, she nodded. "Alright then. . .' She swallowed heavily, knowing the following question she was going to ask would create some kind of commotion. 'Just why did you so desperately need to find me?"

The cruel grins that painted on the three Death Eaters' faces told her she was about to face something very terrible.

"I was starting to wonder when you'd ask.' Lucius took another step forward. He was six feet from Raven, who was starting to feel rather scared. 'Your father has placed great importance on finding you because he wants to take you back to England, where he will teach you Dark Magic so you can kill alongside with him."

Raven scowled.

"What if I don't want to come, because I don't want to join the 'evil side' of all this?" She asked quickly, fearing the answer greatly, yet trying not to show it.

Bellatrix smirked. "Oh, you will come. . ." She smiled and revealed white teeth, which shone strangely in the light of the candle. The girl didn't like that look one bit.

All three took a step forward, just as Raven's brain finished making all the calculations. Knowing what darkness she was facing if she didn't get away from them, she decided to make a run for it. She suddenly bent her knees and leapt towards the door, running as fast she could as her feet touched the ground.

Three wands whipped out of three robes and pointed at her turned back. She had no idea how close she was to suddenly being a victim of the three Death Eaters.

The candle flickered and died, and the warehouse was plunged in total darkness. Then, several things happened in quick succession.

Right before the light vanished, Lucius aimed at the fleeing girl and shouted: "Stupefy!". But before the spell could hit her, she tripped over her own feet and fell.

Macnair swished his wand and the ajar door slammed shut and locked up. Bella raised her own wand up.

"Lumos." A beam of mighty light burst from it, and Lucius saw that he had missed his shot. Raven turned her head in time to see him aiming at her again. She scrambled to her feet and tried to find a place to hide, but the Light spell chased away all shadows and she could not disappear into them anymore.

"Crucio."

The girl jumped just in time, landing behind a big wooden box. The Unforgivable curse hit it and the box exploded, covering everything in debris and dust.

Getting back up painfully, Raven knew this was her only chance to make a run for it. Through the dust, the other three could not see her so she dashed towards a nearby window and broke through with a crash.

Glass scathed her skin and pulled out blood, but she continued running, knowing the Death Eaters were hot on her trail.

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Raven dashed past a small crowd of people on the Main Boulevard of the city. With her wide eyes, tangled hair and terrified expression, she attracted lots of attention, but she did not care: she was exhausted from her fleeing and knew she had to find Red and get his help. He was the only person close enough to her that would understand. . .

She squinted across the busy street and saw him standing with some other people, smoking near an alley. With a relieved sigh, Raven took a step forward, exhaustion pulling of her every muscle. But she seemed to have forgotten about the circulation on the street. . .

Cars screeched and she suddenly screamed, realizing she was in the middle of the boulevard with her life handing by a thread. Her arms shot up in an attempt to protect her head as people beeped, trying not to hit her and not hit each other as well.

The girl did not see it, but Red realized who she was and instantly left his friends, dashing stupidly onto the street, nearly getting hit himself. He passed cars that screeched to a stop and beeped furiously, but he did not care: his eyes were set on the terrified Raven.

He reached her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She trembled furiously against him, frightened past her limits. The cars had stopped and were urging him to get her out of there, so he gathered his confused thoughts and slowly helped her towards were his friends were still smoking.

They sent him a confused look and he shrugged distantly, dragging a sobbing Raven away from them and into the alley nearby. When she felt the shadows fall around them, the girl opened her eyes and pushed away from the young man.

"Red. . ." She choked, unable to continue.

He hugged her tightly.

"What were you thinking, you idiot? You could have gotten yourself killed! What shit did you take to get yourself so freaked out? Are you bad-tripping?( definition at the end) What's wrong, Raven?" He asked in quick succession. Again the girl pulled away from him, despair in her eyes.

"I. . .I didn't take anything, Red! There's this. . .it's so unbelievable. . .there's these. . .people after me. . .they want to take me with them, but I don't want to go! Oh, Red, help me, please! I don't know what to do!" She let out a scared sob and buried in his chest. The man was confused and was getting scared: if the almighty, cocky Raven was scared and followed by some people, there were reasons to freak out. This girl did not know fear, so if something perturbed her this much, it had to be serious.

"Alright, Raven, relax! We'll figure something out! Let's just go back to the warehouse, and think this over. . ." He gently let go and saw the girl nod, tears falling from her eyes.

They turned towards the dark alley and began walking away. But before they had taken four steps, three loud cracks resonated behind them, and the teens twirled around rapidly.

"NO!" Raven screamed upon seeing the Death Eaters standing there, eyes cold and cruel.

Lucius raised his wand, and at that moment, she understood, by some strange sixth sense, that the curse he was about to use would be deadly. But before she could react to this new threat, the wand was pointed at her friend, who watched them, mouth dropped.

"Aveda Kedavra." Lucius murmured almost happily.

"NOOOOOO!" Raven screamed, but it was too late; a bright green flash illuminated the alley and Red dropped to the ground, rigid and dead.

The girl screamed in agony and dropped to his side, tears falling from her eyes. She clasped his freezing hand and tears ran down her cheeks, unstoppable.

"Red. . ." She sobbed desperately.

Raven looked up at the murderers, fury in her eyes, but found herself face-to-face with Bellatrix's wand. The woman looked down imperiously at the small, frightened and exhausted girl.

"Welcome to the Dark side, Lis. Hope you like it here. . .Stupefy!"

A red flash exploded from the wand, and everything faded into dark.

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Done! Sorry this took a while to get out, but I had my share of life problems and now I have to study for my exams. I'll try to update as soon as I can.

Argerusia: Thanks for the review, and I appreciate you finding me some names. I know this one if totally crazy, but I kinda like it. Lis is a pretty name, I find. I especially liked your Star Dhegu Marvolo Riddle. It sounds very nice. I hope you like this chapter. It starts getting eviler in the next one.

Carol Liner: It was not SUPPOSED to be funny. . .

Ivo of Kermartin: Yeah, thanks for pointing that out before this story got deleted! I appreciate that a lot! Seriously. . .

As a matter of fact, I had no idea that introduced that rule. Thanks again for telling me! And thanks for reviewing all together!

Dreamingmaggie: Thanks! It's kind of a strange name, but it's nice. And Draco's coming up soon, don't sorry! And I understand you when you say he's hot ; ).

Xsummerbabyx: Yeah, lol! Thanks for reviewing! I appreciate your support.

Kaiame: Yeah, it is kinda pretty. Thanks!

Bad-trip : Panicked feeling some people get the very first time they're stoned. It is provoked by a sudden thought of something that scares you. The fact you are stoned basically intensifies the fear and stops you from being able to get rid of it.

Next chapter, Raven wakes up and finds herself in a whole new world, where there are no rules to protect her. Never before has the free delinquent desired so much for some laws around her, to protect her mind, body and soul from terrible violation. The countdown to her end has begun. . .


	5. Waking up to whole new world

Raven groaned as she slowly emerged from sleep. All her senses seemed to be fuzzy: she felt numb in the arms and legs and she felt as if she had gone deaf: there was not a sound. Wherever she was, there was nothing she could hear.

Slowly, the girl opened her eyes and found her vision blurred. She blinked several times and finally, things around her slowly regained their clarity.

She found out she was laying on some kind of mushy bed, in a large room. The ceiling was high and shadows ran all over it, snaking from corner to corner like spider webs. Slowly she tried to turn her head to the left to perhaps find an exit, but something felt wrong: none of her muscles would listen!

Confused, with a slightly panicked feeling rising in her chest, the girl tried to calm down and try again. She ordered her neck muscles to move her head, either way, but found they would still not respond. Her entire body felt stiff: as if someone had stuffed her with cotton, cutting off all her nerves.

Now Raven was scared. She knew that something was very wrong with her: someone had done something to her, numbing her entire body.

'Wait. . .what am I doing here. . .?' She suddenly wondered. For another moment, she lay there, thinking, trying to remember what had happened before she ended up here.

Then, like an uncontrolled tidal wave, it hit her.

The force of it took her breath out of her: she saw images, flashing at lightning speed before her eyes, of the events that had happened earlier: she saw the three caped Death Eaters, she saw them taking their hoods off, she saw all kinds of spells flying out of their wands and at her, she saw herself running through dark alleys, searching for someone to help her, and then she saw. . .she saw. . .Red. . .

A sob caught in her throat and came out as a hiccup. Raven saw a flash of her friend, lying dead in the alley, as the Death Eaters stood nearby. She remembered her fury at them, and felt it reborn inside her as she lay in the soft bed, gazing at the ceiling

Then she remembered Bellatrix, who had somehow knocked her out. That's where all her memories ended, so she assumed the Death Eaters had kidnapped her, gave her some kind of numbing poison and brought her here.

Just one question: where was HERE?

The girl drowned another frightened cry and slowly returned to her usual cool, calm self. She decided to try and figure a way out of this, while staying composed and thinking clearly.

But all of her assurance suddenly vanished when she heard the soft rustle of a cape to her right. The girl froze (not that she was moving) and her eyes almost popped out of their sockets, as she opened them wide.

Hardly breathing, she listened, trying to hear the rustle again, to make sure she had not just imagined it.

And there it was: louder and longer this time, as if someone was getting up from a sitting position.

A shadow fell on her and with a whimper, she raised her terrified eyes to meet a tall dark figure that stood over her.

"Who. . ." She tried to speak but her voice caught in her throat, as air found trouble trying to pass to her lungs. Her breathing became short and ragged, as terror seized her. She could not see the person's face, but she could almost swear she knew who it was. . .

"Hello, Lis." His voice murmured. The girl whimpered as the freezing voice hit her like a punch, and all she desired was to vanish off the face of the Earth, to never hear or see the speaker of that voice again. Terror flooded her, as brutal and cruel as the man that had spoken.

Tears rose to Raven's eyes and she let them fall, as she gazed, helpless, at the towering figure above her.

"I'm happy to finally see you." The man said softly. Raven shut her eyes.

'Go away, go away, go away. . .' She hissed furiously in her mind.

Then suddenly, she heard the voice again; but this time, it was inside her HEAD!

'I will never go away, Lis. Never. You and I, we are bound, and your destiny is to be everything I am. Your destiny is to help me, and you will never be able to make me leave. Never, Lis, never.' He laughed inside her head, and the girl screamed.

This time, her voice broke free from her constricted throat and burst out like a wild bird, bouncing off the walls, seeking an escape.

Raven screamed until all her fear and all her pain slithered out, and when she suddenly fell quiet, the man still chuckled.

"Voldemort. . .you're Voldemort. . ." She whispered, feeling suddenly very weary.

He chucked again.

"Yes. Yes, I am, Lis. And you're my one and only daughter. . ."

Silence fell, and finally Raven decided to break it. If she wanted answers, it was now or never.

"Why did you bring me here?" She demanded, staring at him.

Voldemort tilted his hooded head for a moment.

"Have my Death Eaters said nothing to you?' He questioned softly. 'I need you here to defeat the boy who was my downfall: Harry Potter. Afterwards, I need you to learn all I have learnt, and become the next Dark Lord. You will achieved great things under my care, Lis. You will achieve things some can only dream about."

But Raven did not share his joy for this: she felt a new anger rising inside her, like a coiling, raging snake. The great reptile fury reared its head and stroke.

"What if I don't want to be your follower, or to kill this Harry Potter? What if I don't do what you want me to?" She spat angrily. Voldemort scoffed softly.

"I have many ways to break people, Lis. There is nothing that I can do to you that you will for ever resist. Believe me, child; when I'm done with you, you'll never be the same. . ." He laughed coldly, cruelly and suddenly moved away, black cloak billowing behind him.

He paused at the door.

"You'll regain use of you body in about two hours. Then you'll have to find a way to get out of those bonds, which you probably didn't even know about until now. Try using your anger and fear, Lis. I've kept your powers in check since you've arrived, but now. . . well, have fun. . ." And he left.

Raven's eyes flew to the left and right, and distantly, she saw black leather bonds tying her to the bed. She growled angrily, trying to ignore the waves of terror that splashed wildly inside of her.

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Quizgirl: Seriously, what is up with people laughing at red's death? I wasn't exactly supposed to be funny: I mean: someone died! How can you laugh at that. . .oh well. . .

Yeah, Raven's gonna have this might grudge against Voldemort, and yeah, she's gonna plot again him. But this is probably not gonna work out the way you're imagining it now.

The Unenterable Door: Actually, when someone is hit with the Aveda Kedavra curse, they immediately get cold and all dead-like.

Dreamingmaggie: FINALLY someone who has compassion for poor, dead Red. And yes, Draco's coming up.

Just Curious: He he. . .that's not what's going to happen! This is not a Harry's-gonna-save-the-poor-little-Voldemort's-girl-and-they'll-fall-in-love fic. You couldn't be further from the truth.

Lyraartemispotter: It's in horror because of what's coming up.

Kaiame: Well at least you're not happy Red died. . .(PS: cut the sugar; it's not good for you!)

Argerusia: Again, I like the names. I didn't get you email, so it must mean you send it to the wrong address (or I accidentally deleted it because I delete all my emails). So if you want, send it to the email mentioned in my bio, and I should get it fine. As a subject, write the name of the story you're sending it about, so I know it isn't junk mail. Thanks.

Xsummerbabyx: Sorry this took such a long time to get out, but I've been busy. I'll write more often now that I'm on vacation.

Next chapter, Raven manages to get herself free and comes out to face her first challenge. If she survives a wandless fight against one of Voldemort's psychotic Death Eaters, she'll be taken to a magic shop to get a want of her own. . .but if she doesn't make it out, the Death Eater gets to do with her what he wants. . .

Well Raven, your training has begun!

Top of Form

Bottom of Form


	6. The fight and the curse

WARNING: Alright, so from this chapter forth, beware of spoilers for book 6, you who haven't read it yet.

NOTE: It's been rather hard for me to figure out when all these events are happening, and I've finally decided: they are happening at the end of book five, so right now, NO MATTER WHAT HAS BEEN SAID IN PREVIOUS CHAPTERS, Raven is only fifteen years old. Understood? Since this is a prequel to book seven, expect Raven to meet Harry in a while.

That is all. Have fun.

PS: Book 6 wasn't that good, really. I had the feeling I was just reading another fanfic about Harry Potter. . . it felt as though J.K. had no more ideas for her book. . . it was kind of rushed. . . tell me what you think in your reviews!

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Raven had regained the use of her muscles barely ten minutes ago, and since then, had not stopped trying to fight against the bonds that held her hands to the bed's posts. As comical as this might have looked in any other circumstance, it was no laughing matter: the girl was really getting scared, wondering what was in store for her if she ever even got free of the binds.

With an angry growl, Raven arched her back, pulling her searing arms towards her in an attempt to break the leather straps. Naturally they did not give in, and the collapsed onto the bed with a strangled sob.

"Fuck this. . . I don't want anything to do with HIM. . . I didn't want to become this. . ." She let a few tears loose and sniffed, staring at the ceiling.

A voice, long lost in the back of her mind, suddenly awoke and spoke up.

'You haven't become anything yet.' It pointed out gently, trying to calm the girl down.

'But it won't be long. . . look at me: I can't do anything! I can't fight him!' Raven answered mentally, tugging anew at the bonds. Without success.

'So you'll just go along with what he wants from you. Do you want to kill this Harry Potter?' It continued quite coolly, as if testing her.

As much as Raven knew she had already lost, she could not bring herself to say 'yes'.

"No." She finally snarled aloud, curling her upper lip in disgust, filled with a sudden desire to revolt herself against the rules set out before her. The voice smirked even though it had no face.

'I thought so.' It said softly. 'So now, you are going to listen to me. Remember what Voldemort said? "Try using your anger and fear, Lis." And I quote. So just do what he said, even thought you don't want to listen to him, and get us the Hell out of here!'

Shocked by the anger that was not hers, Raven blinked, but suddenly scowled. "Alright." Her words came out dangerous and cold, and she shut her eyes, concentrating.

Through flashes of her memories, she relived all that had happened during the past few hours, trying to build up her anger. The memory that truly awoke her inner demon was that of Red's pale face as he fell to the ground, dead.

Her eyes split open and a strange, fiery glint appeared in their depths.

Raven hollered a raging cry, arching her back against the bed, pulling on the leather bonds as a heat like flames erupted around her wrists.

Suddenly, without warning, as her hatred overwhelmed her and the fire around her hands grew, the bonds vanished in a flicker, becoming nothing more than a few ashes, which fell softly on the bed.

Shocked by the sudden release, Raven stopped yelling and looked quickly to the side, seeing the cinders on the bed.

'You burned them. Congrats. May I ask what the Hell you are waiting for? A cookie? GET US OUT OF HERE!' The voice bellowed in her head so loudly the girl flinched.

Obedient, she scrambled out of the bed and stood up, as a sudden dizziness washed over her, forcing her to hold on to one of the bedposts for support. Her arms ached and she still felt stiff, whereas it was from the potion's side effects or from lying in that weird position she didn't know.

When her head stopped spinning, she let go of the post and staggered to the beautiful oak door, truly unknowing what to expect beyond it.

Her hand fell on the knob and she twisted it with a sigh; she had expected the door to be locked.

'So what if it would haven been locked? You're a witch, remember? You would have knocked it down with your powers or burned it away. . .' The voice said dangerously.

Raven scowled, wondering why she was still hearing it. She had thought it was the kind of 'momentary' thing that happened when you were alone and needed help. She hadn't expected it to stick around. . .

'Well excuse me for not immediately taking in the fact my whole world has been flipped upside down! First, some loony idiots come along and tell me all this crazy stuff, which I believe, then my friend gets murdered, then my psycho of a father decides he's going to 'make me what he is' and finally, I get stuck with you! No, this really isn't my day. . .' Raven snarled back, yanking the door open with more strength that it demanded.

The voice had a pretty nasty comeback to spit at her, but missed its chance to say it when they found themselves face-to-face with Lucius Malfoy. His eyes stared at her coldly as the girl took a step back, startled.

His gaze softened a bit after a few seconds, and when he spoke, his drawling voice was slightly less arrogant than Raven had heard it be.

"Good day, Lis. I see you've gotten out of your bonds, have you? The Dark Lord told me to bring you to him when you did. Follow me." It had been a simple statement, yet Raven had seen something evil, dark glowing in the back of his eyes as he spoke.

Without much choice or conviction, she walked quietly after Lucius, staring at the ground in defeat.

'How am I going to get out of this one?' She asked the voice, setting aside her annoyance towards it for a few seconds, seeking guidance.

It rolled its non-existent eyes. 'You don't even know what you're going to face, dumbass! How about you ask the blond git?' It was still angry with her; she could tell.

"Ummm. . . Lucius. . .' Raven began, unsure of how she should call him or attack the subject, for that matter. 'What am I. . . going to have to do now?"

He didn't even bother turning, and sent her a look over his shoulder. "The Dark lord has called one of his special. . . friends. . . to come and see to you. But I cannot tell you what you'll be asked to do."

'Well that was very helpful.' The voice pointed out.

'Hey, it was your idea!' Raven accused, as the stopped in front of a door, which Lucius pushed open with ease.

With a gasp, mouth hanging in awe, the girl entered something that looked like a huge ballroom. Her eyes leaped to the high ceiling, which was painted in all sorts of strange, dark motives, and she followed her guide blindly, staring up at the ceiling all the time.

It was only when she nearly rammed into him, at the other end of the huge room, when he stopped, that Raven looked down and gasped. But this time, it was a frightened gasp.

All around the room, lining the four majestic walls were men and women. Someone of them (Raven assumed they were Death Eaters) were wearing black robes with hoods hiding their faces. Others (which were far more numerous) wore normal clothes like jeans and tattered shirts, yet somehow, they looked more. . . wild was the right word. . . than Voldemort's followers.

Lucius bowed and moved away, drawing his hood over his head, and left Raven standing there alone. The girl gulped, feeling awkward under all the stares, and looked up slowly at the person to whom Malfoy had bowed: Voldemort sat on a throne, looking imperiously at his daughter. At his side stood a man with a terrifying hunger in his eyes and a weird wilderness about him. Raven shivered as he licked his lips, looking at her.

"Finally you've broken free, Lis. But you are not free yet. Today you will have to complete a challenge in order to. . . survive. If you walk away victorious, you will be rewarded with a wand. However, if you loose, your opponent will. . . let's just say he'll have the time of his life with you." There was a pause as Voldemort's voice rung through the room and several people sniggered.

Raven looked at them nervously, waiting for the Dark Lord to resume.

"The man on my right is Fenrir Greyback. He is your opponent, as well as a very dangerous werewolf and the leader of all the other men and women here. You have to defeat him in order to live through tonight." Voldemort smirked almost casually as Greyback took a step towards the girl, who immediately stepped back, alarmed. Her recoil caused almost everyone to laugh.

"Begin." The Dark Lord ordered, smirking wider.

Greyback wasted no time and moved skilfully, like a predator, towards the girl.

'Shit.' She swore interiorly, trying not to seem scared, as he began circling her, and she followed him with her gaze.

'You have to use magic. He's gonna go physical. You have to strike back with magic.' The voice ordered, as alarmed as the girl.

'I don't know magic! I can't beat this guy! If I know my legends, and I do, one bite from him and I'll be a bloody werewolf too!' Raven hissed back.

'I'm not sure, seeing as he's not transformed. . . LOOK OUT!'

Raven threw herself to the side as Greyback pounced, missing her by mere inches. She scrambled from the floor under the laughter of everyone around them, and turned to face him as he grinned.

"Don't fight it, Lis. . . you're not strong enough. . ." He murmured softly, forcing her to back up. She noted she was moving closer to Voldemort, and seeing as it was not something she wanted, Raven circled her opponent.

'Any bright ideas?' She demanded, not answering the werewolf as he snapped his teeth at her, eyes glinting in a sick way.

'Yes. Your fear and anger. Try to tap into that.' The voice answered.

Raven didn't close her eyes. This time, she simply focused on her terror, her stress and her anger towards these people. She concentrated so hard she didn't hear what Greyback said, and almost didn't seem him jump.

At the very last second, her mind caught up with her and she pounced to the side, looking away from him and at the crowd. . .

It all happened very fast: one of the hooded Death Eaters looked up, and she saw a glimpse of greasy black hair through the pale light of the room, and then, she caught his gaze.

It was like gazing into pools of black water. Normally, Raven would have seen nothing there, but this time, something strange happened. She released the magic energy she had gathered inside her without meaning to, and it traveled to that man.

She felt herself leave her body, and she was sucked into his dark optics.

Raven felt smooth, powerful, as if she was a mighty snake. It felt as though she was traveling a very small, dark corridor at extreme speed, passing words, images, videos and sentences that glowed blue on the dark walls.

As if it was a natural thing, and as if she knew where she was going, Raven turned right and left at intersections, guided by an invisible force. Suddenly, as though she had found what she was looking for, she stopped. Gazing to her right she saw words glowing faintly on the dark wall.

'Sectumsempra.' She read quickly. After she had register the word, she felt like she was being pushed out and a blinding light exploded around her as she regained vision through her own eyes.

'What the Hell?' Raven demanded, startled, and regaining her balance after dodging Greyback's attack.

The voice paused. 'I think you entered his mind.' It finally said.

Quite freaked out, the girl stared at the werewolf, not really seeing him. This cost her dearly.

"OW!" Raven screamed as the man landed squarely onto her, sending her flying to the floor, hitting her head on the marble ground. Greyback landed gracefully near her, and crawled in her direction as she clutched her head, unaware of the danger.

'You went into his head and read some kind of spell. Use it.' The voice continued, noticing how dangerous things were getting.

'I can't. . .' Raven shook her head, but this only made it hurt more. The sudden pressure of two hands on her shoulders turned her attention away from whatever the voice answered, and she looked up to Greyback's hungry face.

He bared his sharp fangs and pushed her onto the ground, pinning her there.

Raven snarled, lifting her legs to kick him, but he crawled over her quickly, pushing her lower body down and pinning her tights together with his knees. A sick grin spear over his features.

"Piss off." Raven snarled, her usual, street-toughened personality coming back up. Greyback grinned wider, showing off his canines.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but I don't think I'll be going anywhere without what I want." He said pointedly, leaning closer to her face. She found this contact quite annoying and her scowl showed him.

"And what do you want?" She whispered back, eyes flashing daggers at him, daring him to answer. . .

"You." He opened his mouth wide, pulled back his head, and got ready to plunge his fangs into her flesh, tearing it up.

'NOW!' The voice bellowed.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Raven yelled, eyes alive with an inner flame. She had no idea if it would work, or if she had even used a known curse, for that matter, but her fury was immense, and it was all that was important. She looked so much like her father at that moment, cruel, powerful, furious. . . even though no one noticed.

Truthfully, she did not even know what she had done. At first he was there, ready to kill her, and then, after she shouted the random incantation, there was blood everywhere.

His grip weakened, and Raven, trying to be oblivious to all the blood, pushed him off. She scrambled to her feet with a whimper and turned to look at what she had done. . . her mouth dropped and she screamed.

Greyback lay on the ground, eyes wide in surprise, staring at the ceiling, mouth wordlessly muttering. He had several sever and very deep cuts all over his chest and face, which sputtered blood all over his ripped shirt, and leaked to the floor.

Raven heard the others running to him to help. . . she heard Voldemort calling her. . . she heard the voice in her head saying something, but she felt distant from it. . .

Her head started spinning as a sick feeling overtook her and she stumbled back, eyes rolling in her skull. The last thing she saw was the surprised look a man sent her –the man from whom she had stolen the curse.

Then, everything became dark.

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Unnamed: Thanks for pointing it out! It has been corrected. If you see any more mistakes, you tell me! Oh, and you pronounce her name 'Liss'.

Kaiame: The beginning of your theory worked fine, but the rest was off track. But for now, neither she nor Harry are going to die, and as you thought, she is NOT going to hook up with Ron. Lol. I wouldn't even imagine that one. . . though Malfoy Jr. is an option. . . oh well, I'll think about it. . .

Next chapter, Raven wakes up AGAIN, and she is finally taken to none other than Diagon Alley. . . with only two guards! Can she make her escape there, or will contacting someone from the outside world be impossible?


	7. Diagon Alley

"How is she, my Lord?" A silky voice asked nearby. Raven shifted slightly, as she slowly emerged from sleep.

"She's waking up, Lucius. Did Severus heal Greyback?" Another voice questioned. Even though she was still half asleep, Raven could clearly make out that that voice belonged to Voldemort.

"Yes, he healed him immediately after the battle, and then he left. Forgive my curiosity, my Lord, but where did she learn that spell from? I can't imagine. . ."

Voldemort cut him off. "No, I suppose you can't.' He paused and broke the tight silence after a few seconds. 'She has Legilimency powers. Great ones. Her fear caused her to accidentally look into Severus's mind (which I find as en exploit, seeing how good of a Occlumence he is) and steal one of his curses. Quite clever."

Silence befell the two men, and Raven chose this moment to awaken with a skilled groan. She opened her eyes and flinched as bright sunlight hit them, forcing them shut.

"Ah, you're awake.' Voldemort said simply. 'Lucius, go fetch Amenti and Apophis. They'll take Lis to get her magic accessories."

"Yes, my Lord." Lucius, hood covering his silvery hair, bowed his way out of the room. Raven send a meek glance at her father, and when his red eyes set on hers, she looked away, out the window.

"That was some impressive magic you did, back there." Voldemort admitted. But the girl wasn't foolish enough to think he was complimenting her: she knew the only reason he had said that was because he realised what great power he could turn against those who opposed him. Raven made a noise in her throat, shrugging, as she sat up and propped her back against the silk cushions that had supported her during her sleep.

A very heavy silence installed itself between the two, and she kept her eyes averted, knowing her father was studying her attentively.

"Today, two of my Death Eaters will bring you to part of London where you'll be able to buy some things you might need. I left them with the money to assure you get what is necessary. I must warn you that you do not attempt to seek help or contact anyone from the magic world. My Death Eaters will be watching you closely, and if, by any chance, you attempt to escape, you will be captured and innocent people will be killed.' Raven turned her head sharply to him, her gaze locking with him, furious. He smirked nastily. 'That might give you second thoughts if you even think of double-crossing me."

The girl's chest heaved angrily, as she drew a big breath to steady herself. She was angry with him, because he had threatened her in such in indirect and filthy way, she could not slither out of it.

"What if I don't care about innocent people?" Raven demanded, trying to seem as cold as he.

But a glint passed in Voldemort's eyes. "Or so you think." His lip curled, and he rose, just as the door swung open.

Lucius came in, followed by two caped Death Eaters. By their figure, one looked like a woman and the other, like a strong man, although they were the same size.

"Amenti and Apophis, my Lord." Lucius bowed and left quickly, as the two other figures stepped closer and bowed low.

"My Lord." Both murmured simultaneously, and Raven shifted in her big bed, looking at them curiously, wondering if they were the type of people from whom you could get away easily.

"Get her ready, and Apparate her into Diagon Alley after. Be discreet and careful. If she attempts to run, go through all means to get her back." Voldemort ordered imperiously, walking past them.

"Yes, my Lord." They answered softly, bowing as he left the room and shut the door.

Raven scowled and crossed her arms over her chest, sulking.

(0)

Three figures caped in black appeared out of thin air with a 'pop' in a dark alley. The smallest one staggered back and fell to the ground, disoriented.

"Oh my. . . God!" Raven gasped, pulling off her hood and staring wildly around her. Apparating had obviously not proven to be one of the things she enjoyed, judging by the sick look she had about her.

"Get up. We have to go." Amenti ordered, pulling off her hood as well. A long curtain of dark blond hair escaped the cloth and cascaded over her back, swaying gently. It contrasted beautifully with her tanned skin and dark eyes, although she would have looked prettier if she didn't seem so cold and cruel.

Her twin brother Apophis pushed off is hood of as well, with an annoyed gesture, and revealed himself. He was identical to the last pale freckle to his sister, only his hair was short and messy instead of being long. However, he had the same icy look about him.

"We have to be back in less than an hour." He said, checking if he still had his wand, before taking a step out of the alley. Amenti nodded and followed him, forcing Raven to get up quickly to prevent being left alone in this strange world.

Before coming out into the open, she threw off the cape and left it lying, showing a black witch's robe she had been clothed in before leaving.

Slightly grumpy, the girl followed the two Death Eaters, who, quite truthfully, attracted almost no attention in this strange place.

Around an amazed Raven, witches, wizards, old warlocks, goblins and many strange people walked, tending to their business as usual, not knowing the danger that passed through their company, unnoticed. She took her time to observe these odd people, and try to get used to this world to which she now belonged.

The girl almost froze in shock when they passed the Eeylops Owl Emporium, Quality Quidditch supplies (what was Quidditch anyways?) and Flourish and Blott's. Distracted by all this new stuff, Raven bumped into her escorts when they suddenly stopped in front of a small shop called Madam Malkin's Robes for all occasions.

Amenti grabbed her by the hand and almost dragged her in. Mouth hanging open, scared yet amazed, Raven gazed around the dusty little shop, wondering what they were going to do here.

"Hello! How may I help you?" A happy little woman came walking forward with a determined step, warm smile over her lips. Apophis shot her a cool look.

"We want some robes for the girl." He said in a freezing tone. The little lady did not seem perturbed by his lack of warmth, and turned to Raven immediately.

"Kind of late for Hogwarts, no? I suppose you must have gotten through your roves already, then?" Madam Malkin chirped happily.

"I. . . whoa!" Before she could finish, the woman had grabbed her arm and yanked her forward, forcing the girl to follow her to the back of the shop. Raven looked over her shoulder and the Death Eaters gave her a meaningful, dangerous look, before she was dragged in front of some mirrors, and they vanished from sight.

"Alright, dear; stand on the stool and let me take your measurements." Madam Malkin gestured to a little stool that stood there simply, overlooked by the mirrors.

Raven stepped onto it, and with a flicker of her wand, the little woman ordered a measuring tape to take care of the girl, as she selected some black material.

"So what did you say your name was, dear?" Madam Malkin asked kindly, picking up some pins from the counter.

"Uh. . . it's Raven." The girl answered, batting the tape away as it tried to measure her nostrils. Relentless, it returned annoyingly for a renewed assault.

"Very nice name. Pull out your hands." The woman said distractedly, ordering the tape away and starting to work on the robes. Ten minutes later, the two cold Death Eaters paid the happy woman and the three left the shop. Raven was very quiet.

After meeting the carefree, happy Madam Malkin, she knew that if she were to attempt to run, someone as life-loving as her might perish. And that was something she did not want. Raven now saw the true consequences of any stupid actions she might make.

They continued along the way, and she barely noticed a huge white building called Gringotts as they passed it, in the sunny morning light. Maybe she was getting used to this, or maybe she was just too preoccupied to notice these things anymore.

They walked by the Magical Menagerie and Gambol & Jakes, before stopping in front of an even smaller shop. Raven looked up and saw this one had an even mustier look about it, before she was shoved inside it, not even having time to read it's name.

As the door shut, a small bell chimed and a voice reached them from the back.

"Be right with you." It sounded like an old, tiered man's. The girl gazed up, awed again: the shop was covered from floor to ceiling in shelves filled with long, rectangular boxes, and there was almost no place to walk.

There was much dust on the higher shelves, where the light didn't even fall, leaving it in shadows. The shop had something warm and homely about it, considering it was rather unkempt.

"Ah, welcome. . ." A low, mysterious voice said softly, giving Raven a small jump. She turned a bit and saw an old map coming out from between two rows of shelves.

He looked exhausted and had an aura of distinct strangeness about him. But it was a nice type of aura, unlike that of the Death Eaters'. Speaking of the two, the man's eyes traveled to them.

"Yes, I remember as if it was yesterday. . .' He began softly. Surprised, Raven stayed quiet, and noted he was talking to the twins, who seemed colder than ever. "Amenti and Apophis Chronos. . . unlike most twins, your wands were identical. . . 12 ¼ inches, inflexible, made of beech, with a dragon heartstring for a core. . . powerful wands, yes. . . and who might you be?" His eyes turned to Raven, who was taken aback by his sudden change of interest.

Somehow, the girl felt unable to tell him her nickname, instead of her real name. She felt as though lying would be useless – so useless, there was no point in trying to hide her real identity.

"I. . . I'm Lis Tromg. . . » She did not mention her father's name, however, because it might land in her in a tight spot. . . you never know what being related to Voldemort might do to you. . .

"Ah yes. You're named after your mother, are you not?' Without waiting for an answer, the old man continued. "Yes, I remember Lis. . . talented young witch she was. . . 9 inches; a rather short wand; swishy, and made of rosewood, with a unicorn hair for a core. Excellent in potions, as your mother was at Hogwarts. Very pretty, strong young witch she was, and came out as pure as ever, even though she had spend all her years in Slytherin. . . do tell, how is she?"

His intense eyes fell deep into hers, and Raven looked down.

"She. . . she's dead. . ." The girl said quietly.

Mr. Ollivander looked at her with compassion. "Do not be sad, Lis. Your mother was a great witch, and you should be proud of her. . . never would have turned to the Dark Arts, not even if her life was in danger. . ."

Amenti cleared her throat, annoyed, and the old man look up, shaking his head.

"Yes, I forget sometimes. . .come here Lis, let's get you a wand. . ." He walked towards a shelf, as the girl replayed his words in her mind.

'Yes, and she never did turn to the Dark Arts, and it did cost her her life.' She told herself sadly, and suddenly noticed that Mr. Ollivander was handing her a long, thin wand. She extended a hand and took it.

"Eleven inches, bendy, made of hornbeam, with a dragon heart string. Excellent for flying. Give it a wave, Lis." He smiled warmly, and, feeling quite stupid, Raven waved the wand back and forth. Before she knew it, he had yanked it out of her hands and placed it upon his small desk, giving her another one instead.

"Nine and 1/2 inches, pliable, made of mahogany, with a unicorn tail hair. Try it."

She waved it, and again it was taken from her before she could speak a word.

Likewise, she went through dozens of wands, and after an hour, a large pile was cluttering Mr. Ollivander's desk. Yet he seemed unabashed, and rather amused by this. Raven was getting more worried: what if it was too late for her to get a wand? What if she really didn't have any powers? But then the fight against Greyback returned to her mind, and she put all her trust in the old man, knowing he would find her what she needed.

"Yes, tough customer. . . this doesn't happen often. . . last time was five years ago, when mister Harry Potter came in the store. . .' He said casually. Mr. Ollivander noticed nothing, but Raven's heart froze upon the mention of the boy she was destined to destroy. Yet she shook it off and took another wand he was handing her, 'Yes, it took a while before he got the right one. . . but Ollivander's wands have never failed, and they will not yet. Mark my words, young girl."

He took back the wand she was been waving helplessly around.

"Sir. . .ummm. . . when will I know I picked the right one?" Raven asked, cracking her searing joints.

Mr. Ollivander let out a loud laugh, which startled everyone after the long calmness that had surrounded them for an hour.

"My girl. . . it is not you that chooses the wand, but it that chooses you. . . Here. I have a good feeling about this one." He handed her a very handsome wand, which seemed older than all the others that she had waved around dumbly.

Raven took it and stared at it blankly, as a warm, fuzzy feeling installed itself within her.

"Twelve and ¼ inches, supple, made of maple, with a phoenix feather for a core. Oldest wand in the store, and extremely powerful. Dangerous, even. Give it a swish, Lis." He stood back.

Raven gave a delicate flicker with the wand, and a thick shower of red and green sparks flew out of it, falling to the floor like snowflakes. She gasped and glanced at the old man, who was smiling.

"That will be fourteen Galleons." He said gently, and Amenti paid him. She and her brother had followed the entire hour of wand choosing from a dark corner, carefully noting all the wands that passed in the girl's hands. Naturally, they were to report her wand structure to their Lord, so he would know what were his daughter's strengths and weaknesses. By the looks of it, she had none of the latter, and all of the former.

Amenti knew that wand: it had passed in her hands when she was young, and having felt it's awesome power, she had naturally wanted it. But it had passed her, and she had not seen it since. The woman had never thought she'd see the day that wand chose someone.

Apophis knew she was thinking that: he was so close to his twin sister he could guess her thoughts and hear her call. Even their wands had been specially made to be identical, with tail hairs from the same male unicorn.

Raven sent the old man a happy look, before she was almost shoved out the door by her escorts. They walked away in silence, as she happily clutched her new possession. It seemed to glow, trying to comfort her in this time of need.

Suddenly, Amenti grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into a shop.

"Hey! What. . ." The girl demanded angrily, but upon entering the store, her pissed voice was lost amidst the screeching, meowing, barking and cawing of dozens of animals sitting in cages all over the place.

Apophis bent towards her to speak, so he could be heard over the racket.

"The Dark Lord said you could have a pet." He told her simply, and moved away a little as a young witch came forth; a colourful bird perched on her shoulder.

"Hello. Are you looking for a new animal, or accessories?" She asked politely, stroking the bird, which twittered madly.

Raven grinned sheepishly.

Ten minutes later, after little hesitation, she came out of the store, holding a large metal cage, which contained a beautiful, shiny raven that gazed up at its new human with smart eyes.

The witch had asked her what name she would give the bird before she left, and without giving it much thought, the girl had answered.

"Lis."

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Ok. . . kinda symbolic ending, if you think about it. And one Hell of a long chapter! I managed to write this right after playing Final Fantasy X-2, so forgive if some of the game's random silliness carried over to the chapter. Review please.

GoldenPhoenix and SilverTiger: Yeah, I was disappointed with J.K. Honestly; I think the book was over-commercialized. Everyone expected it to be great, but it was. . . so-so. I'm not going to say it sucked, because it was passable, but I find all the characters were OOC. You had a hyper Dumbledore, a bitchy Malfoy, a mean Harry, a horny Ron and depressed Tonks. I understand the last one, but all the others have no explanations.

As for R.A.B., I think it's Sirius's younger brother. I forgot his name, and I know he's dead, but I bet that's why he was killed: because he knew about Voldemort's Horcruxes and stole one, hiding it somewhere. I'm ready to bet that it's hidden in the Black House, and Harry's going to have to go back to get it.

Dreamingmaggie: Lol. Yeah, Malfoy's coming up! And yeah, I was disappointed in Draco too, when he turned out not to be so evil. But oh well. . . I guess we'll have to deal with it.

AND YES, SNAPE IS SOOOOOOO HOT! I totally love him.

Kaiame: Yeah, I was sad for him, but I would have preferred it if he would have stayed evil, and Dumbledore wouldn't have died. sigh

Next chapter, lessons begin, and Raven's will starts to bend.


	8. The first lesson

"I don't want to do this. . ." Raven hissed angrily, pacing in her room, eyes fixed onto the ground, ears perked up, listening for the sounds of anyone approaching in the corridor behind her locked door.

Lis, her beautiful raven, cawed softly, gazing at her with warm eyes, as if understanding. . .

The black bird sat on the girl's bed, it's cage long forgotten in a corner. Raven had never been the type to lock up animals; she loved them most when they were free, and intended on keeping them that way.

"I need to get out of here." The girl told her bird sadly, stopping her incessant walking. Lis cawed gently, giving her a single nod. This made Raven smile, as she knew hr new friend completely understood her.

'You will get out of here.' The black bird seemed to promise smartly, giving its human reassurance.

Raven gave a slight jump when she heard the unmistakable sound of someone approaching. The next second, someone whispered something right outside her room, and the door burst open, revealing a Death Eater.

Lis made an angry sound, ruffling her feathers threateningly. Raven brandished her wand, more out of a well-practiced reflex than anything else. The masked man looked at it with an obviously raised eyebrow.

"Lis Tromg, please follow me." He ordered softly, nodding towards the corridor.

The girl's wand emitted black sparks, but she put it down and glanced at her bird. With a defiant caw, it fluttered to her shoulder bravely, like a guardian.

Raven followed the Death Eater out of her room silently, walking through the mansion's many corridors, staring ahead of her proudly. More than once they passed rooms, in which various screams could be heard, anything from ecstatic to horrified.

Slightly scared now, but almost bitterly ready to accept anything that came her way, the girl swung her jet-black hair over her shoulders and entered a large room after the Death Eater.

Lis spread her wings wide, taking flight up to the high ceiling, flying once over the room before returning to her human's shoulder. Raven came face-to-face with another male Death Eater. Her escort exchanged a few words with the man, before leaving the two of them alone.

"Welcome, Lis.' The Death Eater began. He had a grave, cold voice that the girl recognized. 'I am Walden Macnair; we have already met. I am here to teach you basics in magic, as well as how to defend yourself against, and control, various Dark Creatures. With me, you will need only your wand (he looked at the raven, who snapped its beak at him), excellent reflexes to dodge and counter curses, for we will be Duelling, and courage. I do not stand cowardice, and neither does the Dark Lord."

His eyes were freezing cold, and Raven returned his glare.

"I'm not a coward." She defied. The girl almost swore the man smirked under his hood.

"We shall see."

Next thing she knew, his wand was brandished at her and a red flash of light like the one that had knocked her out after Red's death was shooting right at her.

She leapt to the left, as Lis flew off to the right, falling harshly to the ground. Pain shut up her side and she grimace, but jumped up to her feet instantly.

"That was the Stunning spell. Knocks out anything it hits; dead useful if you to stop a . . .fleeing victim.(he gave her a meaningful look) It is the first spell you will be learning. Note that it does not always work: some barriers or magical creatures, such as the dragon or giant, can make the spell rebound upon the sender, for they are protected heavily against such attacks. In those circumstances, several wizards must launch the same attack at the same time; combined, those magical barriers can be subdued."

Raven refused to show any surprise at learning that giants and dragons were real, for she knew she would look like an ignorant fool. Instead, she nodded grudgingly, holding her wand ready.

Macnair showed her the Stunning spell; how to wave her wand, and what to say, then asked her to try it. By the tone of his voice, the girl guessed easily he did not expect her to succeed.

But Lis gave her a warm caw, and Raven felt she was able to do anything.

"STUPEFY!" She bellowed, brandishing her wand like a sword. To her great surprise, and to Macnair's, the red fireball burst from it and went sailing for him.

"Protego!" He yelled, and the fireball rebound upon a clear-blue shield that appeared in front of him, sailing right back to Raven.

Panicked, the girl cried out the only other spell she knew:

"Sectumsempra!"

The fireball exploded with such violence that it sent both humans flying into opposing walls. Raven hit her head and felt herself getting very dizzy, as her vision blurred slightly. She coughed, and heard Macnair doing the same, as the smoke from the explosion cleared.

Lis flew down to her human, cawing furiously, swishing the smoke away with her large black wings.

The girl slowly got up, trying not to move her head too much, as it hurt a lot. Passing a hand through her hair, she pulled it out and saw there was blood. Lots of it.

"Shit." She snarled, stretching out an arm so her bird could settle itself on it.

Macnair appeared near her as the smoke disappeared completely. His looked a bit lost.

"Well that was. . . strange. . . I didn't know. . ." He shook his head. "Are you hurt?"

Raven showed him the blood on her hand and she shrugged, pulling out her wand. Instinctively, her hand twitched, as if ready to throw as spell, but she controlled herself, knowing the man wasn't going to hurt her.

She allowed him to circle her and memorized the charm her used to heal her. "Episkey."

The pain subdued, and they resumed their work, Macnair far more careful this time around.

(0)

Later that night, Raven returned to her room, quite hungry and tiered. Her body ached a bit, because of the couple of time Macnair had successfully managed to stun her and send her falling to the harsh stone ground, as she struggled to learn the Shield charm.

To her disarray, she found none other than Voldemort in her room, standing near the window, looking out at the sun as it set between two high mountains. Lis's while body trembled upon the sight of the Dark Lord, and she ruffled her feather with a weak caw. Raven could almost smell her terror; the bird knew more than well what this man was.

"How was your day, Lis?" He questioned softly, his voice a hiss.

The girl noted a plate of food on her bed, but suddenly, she wasn't hungry anymore; something in her felt sick, as she remembered she was related to this. . . thing. . .

"It was alright." She answered, not sending another look at him, striding furiously to her bed, where she sat down brusquely, her back to the Dark Lord. She heard a swish of robes, and before she knew it, something strange happened.

It was like she blacked out, but flashes of her life passed before her eyes: the first time she smoked, when she was eleven; when she stole a jacked with Red; the day she almost got arrested and had to hit a cop to get away; the first time she saw a girl commit suicide; the day Red died. . .

When his pale face and empty eyes came up to her mind's eye, Raven screamed.

Immediately, everything came back into focus, and she found herself lying on the floor, a tall, dark figure standing over her.

Jumping to her feet, she realised it was Voldemort, and he looked quite coldly at her.

"Lis, you will learn to respect me, and you will learn to fear me. You are here under my control, and if you show again such behaviour towards me, you will fully understand why I am the most feared wizard in this world. What I can do to you can go far beyond bringing you physical pain; I can destroy you mentally like no human ever could.

"Be careful, girl, and watch how you behave around me. This is your last warning." He hissed in a low voice. It was far more terrifying than if he would have yelled, and Raven nodded slowly, as Lis flew down to her shoulder, trying to hide in her hair.

Like a whisper in her ear, she heard a cold voice ordering her to bow down before Lord Voldemort, and, forgetting all the pride she gathered during her years living in the streets, the girl looked down respectfully, as the image of a dead Red haunted her mind anew.

(0)

Sorry for the long wait! You can torture me if you want, for it! I promise they'll be more up soon!

Argerusia: yeah I know it seems that way, and I'll try to make her seem a bit tougher in the upcoming chapters!

Goldenphoenix: Yeah, I guess it can only be Regulus Black. . .it seems logical. . . thanks for reviewing!

Kaiame: Thanks for the review! Hope you're not too pissed this took for ever. . .

Next chapter, Raven continues to learn all about the magic world, and her lessons start to revolve a bit more around the Dark Arts. Will she succumb to the temptation to just stop fighting the Dark Lord, and join him? After all, does she have a choice? It's not like anyone will ever save her, will they?


	9. Avada Kedavra

Raven got up slowly from her comfortable bed. Her room was pit-black, filled with shadows of a dark night, but even through the veil of darkness, her cunning bird perceived her movement.

Lis cawed defiantly, and the girl sent her a look. "I'm fine." She whispered. Nodding to itself, the bird continued watching its human as she made her way to the window.

Sighing, Raven looked out, glancing briefly at the full with her exhausted eyes, before shifting her attention to the scenery of high mountains all around the mansion. Yes, Lord Voldemort's hideout was a gigantic, ancient mansion she had little time to explore, with her continuous lessons with almost every Death Eater there was.

These past three weeks had drained her, as she learned more than she had in all her life. Everything from spells and creatures with Macnair, to potions and antidotes with a certain Snape, who came only thrice a week, late at night, to vague history and magical plants with none other then Bellatrix Lestranges and her deranged husband, Rudolphus.

And then there were all the other, random lessons with all the other Death Eaters ( Unforgivable curses, charms, Duelling, history of Harry Potter, layout of the Ministry of Magic, how-to-escape-Azkaban. . .), which sent the poor girl running all over the giant mansion in search of her teachers.

However, she could not complain, for she was becoming a very powerful witch. Combined with a desperate desire to live, a fading hope to escape this Hell and a secret, growing fear for Lord Voldemort, the girl had become quite the witch. She was fast, effective and spiteful towards everyone around her, making her unpredictable and very strong.

Two days ago, Lord Voldemort had conjured her before him again to test how much she knew, and had given her a rematch with none other than Greyback himself. She did not even wait for him to strike: whipping out her wand, she stroke him with a powerful Crucio curse, sending him howling to the ground, before lifting the curse and sending a stream of spells at him that left him lying there, looking like a large, hairy, oozing. . . thing. . .

Quite unfortunately, she had forgotten that werewolves had a better magic resistance than wizards, and the Incendio spell she sent at him wasn't nearly powerful enough, and ended up bouncing back at her. She dodged it, but it burned her pretty bad. Lord Voldemort had pointed out her mistake quite calmly as she growled at him, healing herself with a flick of her wand. He then said she had done fairly well, and had dismissed her.

She hadn't seen her 'father' since.

Naturally, she had no desire to see him.

But it wasn't her continuous lessons that made her so tiered: it was the fact that night after night her mind was troubled by images of an empty corridor, always ending at a locked door.

She had no idea what this meant; perhaps it was her brain expressing the fact she was feeling so lost and trapped right now?

Because Raven was still very angry at being held prisoner. But she was also extremely scared, because her prospects of escaping were becoming smaller and smaller with each passing day.

However, she was learning everything she could in hopes of being able to use it against her captors when he time came.

Sighing bitterly, Raven moved away from the window and grabbed a book on her bedside table, before jumping into bed. She opened the book at a random page, and took out her wand. It trembled in her hands, and she smiled at it.

"Lumos." She murmured, and a powerful light filled the room. Concentrating slightly, the girl made the light diminish until it was just strong enough to allow her to read.

Lis watched her for a moment, until she lost interest and simply put her head under a wing, going to sleep.

Raven read about her father's downfall and Harry Potter's victory over him until very early in the morning, as the sun began to rise. It was only when the first rays of pink hit the book she was wearily holding that the girl looked up.

"Harry Potter. . ." She sighed, throwing the book aside and slipping under her covers for a couple hours of sleep. "I won't be your end; I promise. . . I won't be the one to kill you. . ."

A new wave of hope and rebellion filled her, and the girl fell asleep with a grunt.

(0)

Staggering through the sunlight corridors of the huge mansion, the girl tried to focus on where she was going. Lis was gliding ahead of her, showing her the way, because she remembered it much better than her human.

They walked for what seemed like for ever, until the bird landed right in front of a handsome oak door, cawing soothingly at the girl. Raven yawned and pushed the door open without knocking.

Immediately, a wave of immense pain hit her like a blow to the face, and she let out a tortured scream, falling to the ground. Lis cawed angrily, flying overhead, but the girl couldn't hear her. . . all she could hear was her own screaming, as every inch of her burned, hoping to consume itself into nothingness, just to make the pain go away. . .

Suddenly the pain vanished. It was like being born again; Raven sighed, tears of gratitude welling up in her eyes, until she realised what had happened.

Gathering all her pride, Raven jumped up to her feet with a hateful snarl and whipped out her wand, which shook slightly in her unstable hand.

"Sectumsempra!" She bellowed, glaring. The last thing she saw was Bellatrix's sadistic, grinning face as she raised her wand. . . and the spell bounced upwards, blasting the chandelier to smithereens.

"Tarantallegra!" Bellatrix replied quickly, and Raven, not having the time to protect herself, felt her legs going into a frantic dance. She lost her balance, but with a great effort, managed to aim her wand at the smirking Death Eater. . .

"Stupefy!" She cried. The spell forced the woman back a bit, and gave the girl a couple extra seconds to free herself. "Finite Incantatem."

Her legs stopped trying to escape from under her, and Raven collapsed to her knees, wand still raised in a trembling hand.

"Welcome, Lis." Bellatrix's eyes sparkled maliciously. "Today we will be studying the Imperius curse."

Raven's exhausted body just wanted to die away.

(0)

Emerging a couple hours later, only after she had managed to throw off completely the Imperius curse, Raven groaned as pain shot up various parts of her anatomy. She had fallen countless times trying to regain control of her limbs, much to the Death Eater's amusement.

Lis led the way back to their room, where food awaited.

Raven hadn't eaten much lately, and it was starting to show: her frame was much thinner and fragile than she had ever seen it, and she looked pale and exhausted all the time. However, no one really seemed to care, not as long as she was still alive.

Eating a single piece of toast, the girl rubbed her eyes and lay down on her bed for a moment. What did she have next? Searching her memory, she tried to remember.

Oh yes. . . studying of Dark Creatures, with Macnair.

Knowing she was in danger of blistering pain if she was late for his class, the girl rose to her swaying feet again, wincing slightly as pain shot up her knee. She looked over at Lis; she was eating a piece of raw meat, tearing at it with her sharp beak.

"We've got to go, girl. Lead the way." She told the bird.

Lis gave her a rather reproachful look, and, picking up the meat, flew out the door Raven was holding open for her.

(0)

Macnair looked very preoccupied that day. Raven could feel it, because something about his usual amusement at watching her fighting monsters without a clue as in what to do was missing. He didn't seem into his lesson, and the girl couldn't care less.

Secretly hoping he was in trouble with the Dark Lord, she edged towards the shadowy cage that contained today's subject. The cage trembled with her approach and she instantly leapt back, with a startled look.

Macnair would have usually sneered at her and explained what she was about to face, but this time he simply came forth with a grim face.

"Today you will be trying to stay alive, while fighting a manticore." He announced coolly, his eyes weary.

Startled, Raven scowled. She had heard of the terrible creature, because it was legendary, even in the all-Muggle world.

"A. . . what? You don't mean. . ." She glanced at the cage as it trembled again. A deep growl reached her from within it, and she quickly took a few steps back.

Macnair shrugged and flicked his wand. The cage's door burst open and out leapt a violently red beast. . . its humans face grinned hungrily at the girl, rows upon rows of fangs shining, fiery lion body gracefully foretelling its immense power, spiked tail swishing.

"Oh. . . GOD. . ." Raven dodged behind a column as a shower of spikes from the beast's tail missed her shortly. "This is not good. . ."

(0)

Macnair would have loved this, under any other circumstance, but he seemed far too worried to laugh at her today. Standing in a dark corner, he simply stated what she did wrong or what she did right, as usual, never giving her a hint as in to what to do next.

"Sectumsempra!" Raven cried desperately yet again, aiming at the beast from behind a smashed crate. There were various objects in the room behind which she could hide, all there to buy her time in case she didn't know what to do.

The spell hit the manticore and bounced away, creating deep gashes in a wall, and causing the beast to grin cruelly.

"It's skin is magical; you won't get through to it that easy." Macnair said in a bored voice.

Raven growled angrily, jumping aside as a renewed battalion of spikes flew at her. The manticore pounced.

"Protego!"

It hit the barrier and leapt back with a booming snarl, eyes glaring savagely. Raven jumped out from behind a column.

"Stupefy! Impedimenta! Expelliarmus! Incendio!" She yelled, desperately throwing every curse she knew. Two of them worked at long last.

One of them threw back the beast a bit, making it hit a wall rather heavily, and the fire spell caused its tail to burst into flames. Yelping, very panicked, the manticore screamed as it ran around the room, trying to extinguish its tail.

It hit Macnair, who fell over with a groan, and snapped its jaws at Lis when she got too close. Raven, bewildered, gathered her confused thoughts and aimed at the angry monster.

"Stupefy! Impedimenta! SECTUMSEMPRA!" The girl got very frustrated when she saw none of her spells were doing any damage.

With a sudden change of heart, she decided to pass to a subtler offensive, by throwing slightly more peculiar curses. This was going to take some very quick thinking, but she was ready. . .

"Avis!" Raven yelled, and an hundred white birds burst from her wand, filling the room to a point that nothing could be seen through the flapping of wings. Blood splattered everywhere and birds screeched as the manticore took out its pain on them. The girl had effectively managed to distract the beast.

"Ferula!"

The second spell was very carefully aimed, and it successfully managed to bandage the beast's paws together. With an almighty roar, the manticore fell to the ground with a crash that shook the room and struggled to break free. Raven concentrated.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" The girl lifted the manticore so it faced her with its unprotected belly, and with a final sigh, feeling slightly sorry for the beast, she threw her last curse. "Avada Kedavra."

There was a great flash of green light, and half the birds twittering in the air fell limply to the ground, just as the manticore stopped fighting.

Raven lowered her wand. No one had ever taught her that spell, and she didn't even know how it worked. . .

She had simply remembered, with a cold shiver, the night Red died. . .

Tears welled up in her tiered eyes and she quickly blinked them away.

(0)

Wow that was long! Review please! Sorry if the ending of the chapter wasn't that good.

Goldenphoenix: Yeah, her raven is really cool. I want one too. . .wouldn't it be the best pet? Thanks for reviewing!


	10. The last straw

Raven had fallen asleep right after her lesson with Macnair, and it was a high-pitched, trembling voice that raised her again, much later in the night.

"Miss. . .miss Tromg. . ."

She groaned and heard a nervous shuffle from the intruder as Lis the raven cawed menacingly at him. The girl blinked sleepily and raised herself from her pillows a bit to see who it was.

Even though he had his hood over his face, the way he cringed as he wringed his hands was a dead giveaway.

"What do you want, Wormtail?" Raven demanded in a cold voice so much like her father's. It was when she addressed the despicable little man that she sounded most like Lord Voldemort. Truth was, Pettigrew disgusted her with his weak and betraying nature. She knew he would always tag along with only the strongest, and that kind of human being was, to her eyes, the lowest, most revolting type.

"Your potions. . . potions master has. . . has arrived, Miss. . ." He cowered slowly towards the door as her eyes flashed with pure hate.

"I'll be with him shortly." She snapped back cruelly, eyes on fire.

Wormtail gave a kind of a whimper and left the room quickly, shutting out whatever light came from the corridor. Everything went pit-black, and, annoyed, Raven withdrew her wand from her pocket and flicked it: the old-fashioned oil lamps in the room burst to life.

She got out of the large bed and her feet hit the warm carpet. Lis groomed her wings up quickly as her human tried to flatten her black hair, gazing at her sleepy appearance in a nearby mirror.

Then, without another word, both bird and girl left the room quickly, making their way to the dungeons, where their potions master awaited.

(0)

"You're late." Snape said in his oily voice as she shut the door behind her.

"Am not." Raven hissed under her breath. If the Death eater had heard her, he made no reaction to show it.

Moving them over to an empty cauldron, Snape began speaking.

"Today you will be brewing the Drought of the Living Dead. Now, this potion, if brewed incorrectly, will result in. . ."

But his voice became a vague hum to the girl as she watched him with glassy eyes, wishing with every part of her soul that she could be back in her bed.

Lis, noticing her human's attention slip, rolled her eyes and watched Snape more intently, memorizing the ingredients and their order, so she could help Raven out so the girl wouldn't blunder too much.

(0)

With a soft caw, Lis prevented her human from adding the wrong ingredient for what was the hundredth time this night. Raven, her nerves dangerously strained due to lack of sleep, was ready to explode.

"Son of a. . .expect him to give me the difficult shit when I'm half dead from lack of sleep. . . I can't believe this guy. . . as soon as I know enough to escape this place, he'll be the first one I'll hex to the Underworld. . ." She snarled under her breath, her voice well hidden by the hissing fumes that came out of her cauldron.

She added the last ingredient, gave a couple of stirs to the mixture under her teacher's intense stare, and took a step back, looking down upon her miserable work.

"The potion is far too thick, and you haven't stirred it long enough. This draught is useless!" He mocked in his sneering voice. Raven's hand tightened around her wand convulsively, and she glared at the man, hatred pumping in her blood.

'Get bent, get bent, get bent. . . .' She thought, staring at him with a dark gaze.

Snape sniffed, and for a moment, she could have sworn he had heard her. . .but when he spoke up, it was in his usual, cool voice. Nonetheless, the girl hated the feeling she got from him; the feeling that he could read minds. . .

"You will write a two-foot essay on why your potion went wrong, and how you should have made it so it was perfect. You will hand your essay in next time we meet, and since I cannot be sure when that will be, consider it as in due tomorrow. Have a good night, Miss Tromg." He sneered, giving her an insulting little bow.

Gaping, Raven had to use every inch of her self-control not to viciously attack the man. She simply gave a tremble of fury and swept from the dungeon, her black robes whirling around her feet like black flames.

"The oily son of a. . . I bet this is all because of that Sectumsempra spell. . . he's been so fowl ever since. . ." She turned a corner sharply, and almost collided with the small, fidgety frame of none other than Wormtail.

"Miss. . ."

"WHAT?" She roared, eyes flashing.

He trembled and with a 'pop' transformed into a rat and scattered away.

"Dumbass." Raven stated bitterly and, led by her bird, swept back to her room, feeling miserable.

(0)

Raven growled threateningly as someone knocked sharply on her door the next morning. Her bird lifted its head, interested, wondering whom it could be. It was pretty early after all. . .

"Who is it?" Raven yelled from her bed, throwing aside the pillow that had been lying on her head, and sitting up gingerly. Her muscles protested, wishing to go back to sleep as her stiff joints cracked dully.

The door opened and in came the very last person the girl wanted to see- Lord Voldemort.

"Good morning, Lis." He said in a cool whisper. Something about his voice sounded more angry than usual, and, with an upturning shiver in the pit of her stomach, Lis realised his fury was throbbing in her as well. She hated this, because it made her realise they were connected in a way she did not approve of.

"Hello, my Lord." She said stiffly, her pride suffering, as she bowed her head and looked at him with eyes that could kill.

He stopped right next to her bed and an unnerving silence fell. Lis the raven shifted on her perch, wondering is she should attack the intruder or simply stay put; she was less afraid of him of late, but the man still made her tiny feathery body tremble with his single presence.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked quietly, dreading what he was going to answer, wondering if she did something incorrect.

"I asked Wormtail to fetch you after your potions lesson, and to bring you to me. For some reason, he return frightened past his wits, telling me you refused to come. Can you explain?" He said softly.

That was the last straw.

Raven could take people sneering at her, watching her struggle against gruesome beasts, sending violent pain spells at her, driving her past her limits, exhausting her mind and giving her more unfair homework than she had ever seen given, but to get in trouble because of a lying, fowl excuse of a wizard. . . that did it. . . the rage she had suppressed for many weeks now burst free.

"THE FUCKING HALF-ASSED BASTARD! THAT DOES IT!" She bellowed, jumping up. Her eyes became a brilliant red and the air around them seemed to become electric with a passing surge of power.

She whipped out her wand like a sword, quite oblivious to the triumphant look on her father's face, and stomped out of the room. Lis cawed fearfully and flew after her human, with a glare at the Dark lord, who was following her.

Raven had no idea what she was doing or where she was going. All she knew was that she subconsciously knew exactly what had to be done, and all she needed to do was trust her instincts, because everything was ready and laid out for her. . .

She rampaged through half the mansion and suddenly found herself facing two large oak doors. They flew open with a deafening bang as she approached them and she found herself facing a handsome room full of Death Eaters, who fell silent at the look on her face.

They backed out of her way quickly, some stumbling over their robes. In their midst, the girl glimpsed Greyback, who gave her a positively terrified look before scampering the Hell out of her path.

One wizard who hadn't moved was Wormtail, who was still seated at the large table in the centre of the room, looking as though he'd like nothing better than to sink through his chair and never appear on the face of the Earth again. He seemed paralysed by fear, or by some power that the girl was using, because even though he was clearly in danger, he made no move to save his skin.

The table lifted up a couple of inches into the air, and went flying into a wall with an ear-splitting crash. The dozen chairs that had surrounded it followed suit, until only the one with Pettigrew in it remained, alone in the centre of the room.

Raven drew a deep breath and her eyes flashed when they fell on the little balding man.

"You have reached my limits, Pettigrew. There are many things you can say about me, but lying is not one of them. I did not refused to come see the Dark lord last night, as you told him, I simply scared you shitless, making you run like the despicable coward you are without telling me why you had come for me. I am NOT going to take your lying and cowardice, Pettigrew, and I will NOT be held responsible for your stupidity. Do you know what you are going to do now? ANSWER!" Her voice alone quaked the very ground.

Wormtail shook his head quickly; gripping the sides of the chair so hard his knuckles had turned a pearly white.

"You are going to go see the Dark Lord and tell him EXACTLY why I didn't come to see him last night. Move." Her voice was so soft it was even more terrifying than when she had shouted.

But Pettigrew, unable to move from fear of fainting, remained immobile on his chair. Two heavy seconds passed, while everyone gaped, wondering what the young witch was going to do. The smirk that drew itself over her pale lips was like a death sentence. She raised her wand.

"Crucio."

Voldemort, standing slightly to the left and behind his daughter, had never seem the curse performed with such power, not even by master sadist Bellatrix Lestrange. He was pleasantly stunned.

Wormtail fell like a brick to the ground and convulsed so violently one could have thought he was being possessed by the cruelest of demons. The first few seconds were obviously so painful to him that he was simply unable to make a sound, and when the notion of his immense pain finally made it to his terrified brain, he let out a scream that shattered the previous silence like glass.

His body arched and twitched, as his nails pierced his palms from the force with which his fists were clenched. His eyes were shut and his mouth was wide open, releasing scream upon scream, which Raven seemed delighted to hear coming from him. It as like her dearest wish had finally come true.

But then two things happened: first, the girl's raven gave a loud, wounded caw, looking at its humans with horror, soaring around the pitiful scene. Second, as if the caw was a wake up call, Raven stepped back, her eyes returning to their original colour.

With a gasp of horror, she raised her wand, and Peter stopped screaming, although his body immediately took up a foetal position, shaking on the floor.

Lis landed in her human's open arms, and the girl hugged her bird to her chest with a sob.

"What have I done?" Raven asked her pet in an inaudible whisper. Lis gave her a weak cry in return, trembling in her arms, fearing what she had seen her human become for a few minutes.

It was Pettigrew's trembling voice that broke the silence at last.

"My. . . my Lord. . . I lied, my Lord. I said I had delivered the message to your daughter, but in truth. . . in truth her fury. . . she had scared me and I. . . I fled, my Lord. . . please forgive me for lying. . . I did not. . . please. . ." He began to sob desperately, all pride (if he ever had any) forgotten. Raven felt a terrible pang of guilt at having reduced a man to tears like that. But she was also scared, because today, she proved to everyone, including herself that she was exactly like her father.

Taking a step back, Raven bit back tears, which disappeared more easily when her father spoke up from behind her.

"I knew the truth since the beginning, Wormtail. You were a fool to believe you could lie to Lord Voldemort. I would have thought you smarter than that. However, I decided to leave your faith to my daughter, and I daresay you've learned your lesson, and I am not disappointed by her reaction. Lis," He turned to her as she shivered. "Follow me. I am going to show you why I asked for your presence last night. If you will, you may consider it as a gift for your. . . excellent performance on Wormtail. I have never seen such a well-cast Crucio spell, and I have seen more than an immortal life's worth of those."

Raven felt sick; she was so sorry for what she had done. . . she didn't want to be like him . . . this wasn't who she was. . .

Confused, trembling, she followed the Dark Lord out of the room, as whispers broke out in the room full of Death Eaters they had left behind.

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Hehe. . . new character in the next chapter! The more reviews I get, the faster it gets here! I love you guys for reading and reviewing! I do this for you!

Goldenphoenix: Even longer chapter this time! I hope you liked it!

Argerusia: Thanks a lot! It's nice to hear that! And yeah, I know it looked as if I had given up on the story, but that's only because I had this MAJOR writer's black at that point. Anyways I'm back and kicking!

Scarecrow: Yeah the mistakes are kinda because I listen to music as I write this, so sometimes I start spelling the lyrics instead of the text. I end up mixing 'no' with 'not' or worst. Thanks for the review.

Kaiame: Good to see you back, and I hope you keep reading!

Dreamingmaggie: Well I'm back now! Hope you like this chapter; I think it's my longest yet!

Next chapter, Raven meets a certain someone that just might be the key to getting out of this place. However, chances of escaping might become slimmer as the Dark Lord finishes evil plans for something VERY, VERY big.


	11. Chimera

Raven followed her father miserably through the corridors; Lis perched on her shoulder like a guardian. The girl was very confused and frightened, seriously wondering for the first time if she'd loose control like that again. Never before had she considered it possible to create such havoc so easily when she was angry. Sure, if her street days her fury had been legendary, and no one tried to provoke her, but never had she been able to reduce a full-grown man to tear like that. Even if that man was Pettigrew.

Before she knew it, Lord Voldemort had stopped in front of a pair of very handsome redwood doors, which slid open as he ran his fingers over them. Raven walked inside, slightly awed, greeted by the sight of a large room that was a study, a bedroom and a sitting room all in one.

Without warning, something small jumped out from behind a couch with a yell, fingernail bared as if to attack.

Raven barely had the time to see it was a young girl with long, platinum-blond hair and vivid green eyes, before Lord Voldemort sent her flying across the room, where she landed heavily on a four-poster bed with a soft thud.

"Damnit!" The child yelled, glaring at the Dark Lord. Raven and her bird gave the young girl a stunned look, and suddenly noticed that the room was in a state that clearly showed it had been under assault. Obviously the child was being held here without her consent.

"Lis, this is Arleen Haara. She is the daughter of Isabelle and Justin Haara, renown Animagi, who have been a large threat to us, and have been recently eliminated. Arleen, however, is a powerful witch that can be a great addition to our ranks. I want you to keep her with out and teach her all the magic you know." Lord Voldemort said all this softly, obviously blind to the fact that the child did not want to be kept here.

Raven, on the other hand, was suppressing another rage fit. Firstly, she had no idea what an Animagi were, secondly, she thought it cruel to kill a kid's parents and let the child live afterwards, and thirdly, she had no desire to do any babysitting at the time.

However, it did not seem as though she had a choice.

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"You do realise I don't want to be here, do you?" Arleen snapped over her toast, seated on Raven's bed. The older girl looked at the younger one with a look of disgust.

"You do realise I don't want you here, don't you?" Raven snapped back coolly. Lis rolled her eyes and put her head under her wing, annoyed by this childish behaviour. The little girl huffed silently and the pair glared at each other.

Finally, Raven broke the silence.

"What are Animagi anyways?" She demanded, swallowing the last of her cereal and checking out the little girl. She was about nine years old, but acted like she was much older.

Arleen scoffed, and instead of answering, she showed Raven.

Squinting as though she tried to remember something, for a few seconds the child looked simply foolish, but after a moment, with a gasp from the black-haired teen, Arleen made her blond hair change into a short, fizzy mane of red hair, which matched perfectly with her green optics.

The kid seemed satisfied at the look of disbelief on Raven's face, and continued eating her toast calmly.

"How do you learn to do that?" The teen blurted out, impressed against her will.

Arleen smirked. "You don't. You're born like this. Almost everyone in my family was an Animagi, and I've inherited the genes. It's cool, isn't it? What have you inherited from your parents?"

All animosity seemed to be gone from the child's heart, and was replaced by curiosity.

Raven sighed, pondering for a moment if she should say the truth. . . after all, what did she have to loose?

"My. . .I. . . I'm Voldemort's daughter. . ." She shrugged, looking away. "I guess I inherited his dark powers or something. . ." At that thought, she panicked slightly.

The little girl had winced at the sound of the name, and now seemed very interested, checking Raven out carefully.

"You don't look mean to me. . . maybe you don't inherit badness from your parents. . ."

The teen sighed, hoping the child was right.

(0)

Raven had classes with Macnair after breakfast, and she wasn't sure if she was supposed to leave Arleen behind, so she agreed to let the girl come with her. They were getting along quite well, except when the young girl became arrogant, which she did rather often.

"Are we lost?" Arleen demanded coolly, earning herself a glare from both Raven and Lis, who were rather annoyed with the child.

"No." The teen answered coolly, as her bird pointed its wing towards a door, seated on its human's shoulder. Without the raven, the two girls would have long since been lost, because the intelligent animal was the one memorizing the paths they had to take.

Pushing open the door, Raven was greeted with a roar that made her jump back. A long dragonish tail lashed out towards her, missing her by inches. Curious, Arleen pushed past the teen and walked into the room, awed.

Worried for the child's safety, Raven had no choice but to follow.

Macnair was standing on a balcony, out of reach from the beast that was growling in the shadows, smirk on his face.

"Good day, Miss Tromg. Today we're studying chimeras." He said softly, sneering.

"Uh-oh. . ."Raven's mouth dropped when the three-headed monster came forth, goat, lion and dragon mouths bellowing. The serpentine tail bashed towards her again and she jumped out of its was, Lis taking flight with a caw.

Arleen looked like she was trying to stay calm at her best, but the terrified trembles that ran through her were a dead giveaway to her fear.

"Stupefy!" Raven shouted, brandishing her wand. The spell hit the chimera, but only seemed to infuriate it more. The lion head gave a deafening roar, and the tail sailed through the air again.

This time, the teen didn't see it coming. It hit her across the chest, knocking her wand out of her hand and sending it sailing through the room, way out of reach. Lungs gasping for breath, Raven sank to her knees as the monster came closer.

"No!" Arleen cried, running forward, but the tail hit her as well and sent her flying into a wall. Raven looked into the furious monster's six eyes and raised her hands as the powerful tail came crashing down towards her.

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Sorry for the cliffy, but I've got to keep you guys in suspense. . . more coming up soon, and the plot is going to thicken.

Next chapter, find out if Raven and Arleen make it out alright from their fight with the chimera. The plot is about to thicken, and it is not going to help our heroes.


	12. Black Fire

The chimera's tail came flying towards Raven.

"Impedimenta!" The girl bellowed, brandishing her wand. The tail was hit, bouncing off course, and instead of causing severe damage, it only knocked the wand out of the teen's hand.

Defenceless, Raven backed away quickly as the monster jumped forward, teeth bared and roaring. She ran behind a column, but the chimera's tail beat her to it and smashed it to pieces.

Dust filled the room and rubble rained down as the teenage girl tried to find a place to hide. Lis was flying around, dodging the occasional attack with a caw, looking for her master's wand, which seemed to have disappeared under the smashed column. The bird was desperate to help its human, knowing the girl would perish without her magic against such a monster.

With her back against the wall, Raven found she had nowhere to run anymore. Triumphant, the beast marched towards her with heavy footsteps, roaring, ready for the kill.

Sure that her final hour had come, the teen raised her arms over her head in a final attempt at protection. But a piercing, angry cry attracted her attention, and she looked up.

Arleen was running towards the chimera, eyes full of tears and hands raised in front of her to attack. She dodged the monster's swinging tail and jumped on its back, causing it to roar and buck angrily, annoyed. The little girl was biting, clawing and kicking, trying to bring the monster down.

"I won't let you hurt Raven!" She screamed, digging her small nails into the creature's back. The teen stared, startled, as the little girl gave away quite the fight.

Arleen bit the lion's head's ear, sending it into a frenzy, bucking harder than ever. The tail came flying at the girl again, and since she didn't see it this time, it hit her full blast, sending her limp body into a wall. The chimera rounded up on the child, teeth bared furiously.

"NO!" Raven yelled, jumping forth.

She had no idea what she was doing; all she felt within herself was a terrible fury, and an immense, burning power rising within her chest, ready to overflow. She didn't even try to stop it: she just let her anger take over, and threw out her arms in front of her.

A black fire flew out of her open palms and hit the chimera on the flank. It bellowed frighteningly as the flames take life on its body and began to spread. Naturally, the burning of the fire sent it into agitation, and it began to jump around, crying out in pain.

Its tail was hitting everything in sight; columns, boxes and walls, splintering and breaking everything in its path. It also hit Raven right in the chest, knocking the air out of her body and leaving her on the ground, coughing.

With a final, deafening cry of pain, the monster fell to the ground and stayed limp, its body charred and burned from the black flames, which had suddenly disappeared.

Before she passed out, Raven saw Arleen getting up slowly, gasping for air, Lis digging around in the rubble and Macnair walking towards her with a blank expression on his face.

Then, everything went black.

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She had only passed out for a couple of minutes when Macnair raised his wand and using a spell, called Raven back to the conscious world. Arleen was walking forward, clenching a bleeding arm and supporting Lis on her shoulder, who had a wand in her beak.

Raven sat up gently with the little girl's help, looking at her teacher.

"What happened back there? What were those flames?" She asked, confused.

Macnair looked grave. "It was Black Fire. The most devastating and dark magic there is. Only the greatest Dark Wizards have been able to use it without it backfiring on them, so it is truly incredible that you are still alive. It is fire that cannot be blocked, extinguished or dodged. Once it hits you, it will burn you until you die, vanishing along with your last breath; it can consume anything, including Dragon skin and magic barriers, but it almost always burns its user to death as well. Be very careful with that, because it is most likely that it will happen again."

Raven stared at the man, standing next to Arleen, who had helped her up. Lis cawed softy and gave its human back its wand, before settling on her shoulder.

"Is there a way to control this Black Fire?" The teen finally asked.

"Of course there is, but it can take dozens of years to learn. You shouldn't waste your time with this." Macnair paused. "Well, I think that this lesson is over, so you should head back to your room, and wait until Lucius gets back from his work so you can attend your next class with him. Good day to you, then."

The girl nodded and left the dusty room with Arleen's help.

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"That was some fight!" The little girl said enthusiastically, grinning up at he teen, who seemed exasperated.

"Hold still, already, so I can fix that arm of yours!" Raven said, pointing her wand at the fairly deep cut. Arleen stayed quiet and still for a moment, as the teen tried to remember the spells she had to use.

"Episkey." She finally mumbled, haling the cut perfectly. Arleen immediately began to babble again.

"I mean, I really helped you out there, but you beat that thing so easily after! It was really cool! That Black Fire stuff is really great; I've never heard of it before. It must be pretty dark magic, but it totally saved out lives!" The girl nodded wisely.

Raven looked put down. "You heard what Macnair said; that stuff can kill me, if I loose control."

"Yeah. . . but it can save your life if you stay in control."

The teen shrugged. "I'd rather not take too many chances. There's too much at stake for me to die right now."

"What do you mean?" Arleen asked, puzzled. She got a very grave look from Raven.

"Well, I have so much to learn, and so much to do. I've got to run out of here and help Harry Potter, for one. And I've got to defeat my father. I can't risk using some power that might backfire on me, no matter how powerful it really is."

There was no arguing with that. Arleen fell quiet, and started to read books that could help them in their fight against evil, while Raven finished up her essay for Snape, which was due for God knows when.

They worked long before they finally got up silently, and headed for the lesson with Malfoy.

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Lucius Malfoy covered several subjects with Raven; anything from Dark spells to Dark beasts, and sometimes a combination of the two. So neither of the girls were surprised that when they came into his classroom, it was freezing cold and a tall, menacing figure covered in a thorn, dark cape and hood was floating behind the man.

Raven immediately felt a suppressing misery grip her heart, as though nothing good could ever happen again. Arleen felt the same way, and even Lis gave away a frightened caw, rustling her wings restlessly.

"Welcome. Today, we will be studying dementors."

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Sorry for the long wait guys. Will try to update sooner.


	13. Draco Malfoy

Note: Ok, so I failed to update sooner, but I was really busy with my school and stuff, so I didn't have a lot of time. But I'm back. . . . for good this time, or so I hope. . .

Enjoy, and please don't kill me.

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The dementor rose high, irradiating a wave of cold, unstoppable fear. Raven felt her knees tremble, and she knew that Arleen was biting her lip not to cry. The teen saw, clear as day, images of Red's death, and many terrible things that had happened to her in the past, including the attack on Wormtail, and the many deaths she had lived during her life on the streets. Raven felt as though she could never be happy again, forced to wallow in her own misery.

But then her eyes swayed, and her weary gaze fell on Lucius. He did not seem perturbed by the dementor's presence, but in fact, looked as though he enjoyed Raven's misery.

"Go back to the room. Study some more books. I'll be fine." The older girl suddenly told Arleen, without thinking. The child looked up, tears in her eyes and without answering, turned her back and left. Lis decided to stay with the young child, sending a final glance at her master before the door shut behind the pair.

"As I have said, today we will be studying Dementors. I am sure you have read about them, for the least of things." Lucius said softly. Raven nodded briefly, starting to fight back slowly on the depression that was crushing her. But she could not throw it off enough to think clearly. She had seen too many bad things.

"Good. Then you must know that the only way to repel a dementor is to call forth what we call a Patronus, using a combination of a spell and a very joyful memory within yourself. But very few are those who can call forth a fully formed Patronus. Most are only able to conjure a mist; but those who can call a true guardian will see that it takes the form of an animal, depending on a person's character. The Dark Lord can, obviously, create a fully formed one. . ."

"What kind of Patronus does he make?" Raven asked, still battling against her pain as she tried to remember all that the man told her.

Lucius gave her a hard look. "So can I. Observe." He ignored her question completely, and raised his wand. The dementor faced him, extending both hands towards him, as if to catch the man. Raven felt the coldness of the room double, and a mist enveloped them as the monster used its full power on the Lucius.

But Malfoy was ready. "Expecto Patronum." He whispered very simply, gray eyes fixed upon the dementor.

A sleek, silver fox shot out of his wand and bared its little glittering fangs. It bit the dementor's arm and then fell to the ground, growling at it, forcing it back. Lucius stood there, watching his creation push back the creature, as Raven wondered if she would be able to do the same. Little did she know that question was about to be answered.

The fox vanished and Malfoy looked over at her.

"You heard the spell. Look into yourself and think of something happy. Push the dementor back." He ordered. Just as he finished talking, the monster looked over at the teen and started to glide towards her.

Dread overtook Raven, and she backed away, her wand trembling in her hand. She tried to focus on some happy memory, some happy thought, but her brain was filled with a foggy depression. She couldn't think of anything happy! Her life had been misery all along! She didn't know joy! Her mind was filled with delirious thoughts, and she couldn't get out of them. . .

Falling deeper and deeper into despair, the girl raised her hands as the dementor grabbed her, bringing her closer to him. The pain was so strong. . . this was the one thing she could not fight. . .

'At least I'll see you again, Red. . .' She thought bitterly. But then she remembered Arleen. She remembered that this little girl needed her desperately, that she wouldn't live without her. She knew that she had to fight. . .

Raven suddenly evoked the memory her very last robbery with Red. . . the thrill. . . the joy. . . the laughter. . . it was the only thing she could see clearly in her head.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" She bellowed, brandishing her wand against the monster's chest. A feeble, silvery mist separated them and he let her go. But the delicate shield faded. . . and the dementor reached again. . .

The girl whimpered.

Something silver flashed between them, and suddenly, the monster was being pushed back by an angry little fox Patronus. Lucius stood there, with his wand raised, a complex emotion hidden behind his eyes. He was the last thing Raven saw as darkness enveloped her, and she gave into it.

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"Enervate." A voice snapped.

Raven sat up with a gasp. It took her a moment to realize where she was; when she saw Lucius standing over her, she remembered her fight with the dementor. . . her struggle, and her loss. . .

The monster was gone. Perhaps Lucius had ordered him away after seeing how badly the girl had coped with its presence. He stepped back and let her get up.

"The lesson's over." He told her, and turned away, heading towards the door that led into the corridor.

"How did I do?"

Lucius stopped. "I've seen worst. . . but I've also seen better." He shrugged. "I've got other things to do. Good day, Miss Riddle." He discarded her.

Raven decided to give him a couple minutes of advance, and then, feeling quite weak and shaken, followed him out of the room. She made her way down the passage towards her room, shivering as if she was sick. But then she stopped, and listened intently.

Through a door to her right, she could hear Lucius's angry voice, and a much younger, unfamiliar one; they were clearly fighting. Silently, she moved in closer, and pressed her ear against the door.

"You mustn't get in the Dark Lord's way! You know how concentrated he is on this new plan. He's not going to take it if you start asking him for favors now." Lucius snapped.

"But I'm sick of that Umbridge woman! I want his permission to use the Imperius curse on her so she can actually be of some use! I want to be of some help here!" The younger voice answered angrily.

"He doesn't want interruption. No matter what it's about. He's got enough on his hands with the girl and the plan now. He really needs to get rid of Potter, and he wants it to work out this time, Draco!"

"It's not my fault you're the one that keeps screwing it up." The boy named Draco said coolly. There was a long silence and Raven wondered if they hadn't left, until. . .

"Draco, don't. . ."

"FINE! I'm not gonna ask for anything. But if this would have made his 'plan' work better, it's your fault if he didn't know about it."

There was one set of footsteps heading towards the door, and Raven jumped back trying to look as though she hadn't been eavesdropping. But before she could think of something, the door opened with a crash, and she found herself face to face with Draco.

Instantly, she knew he was Lucius's son. He had the same, gray eyes and silvery-blond hair, as well as that snobbish, pointed face that made him look as though he was always thinking himself higher than anyone. But Raven had to admit that, also like his father, Draco Malfoy was very handsome. That was. . .until he spoke to her.

"What the hell do you want?" He snarled as though Raven was a servant. Instantly, her own brow furrowed and her lip curled.

"Nothing, you ungrateful bastard. I was just passing by." She hissed.

For a split second, Draco looked shocked, but he composed his face quickly into a glare. They sent daggers at each other for a few seconds.

"You're a-" The boy started, but he got interrupted.

"Draco, shut up. That's the Dark Lord's daughter." Lucius came out after his son, gray eyes bearing into the girl's. She glowered right back at him.

Draco looked shocked, and Raven felt her chest swell against her will. The smug look on the boy's face was gone, and she had made it leave.

"Yeah, watch it. _Draco_." She stressed his name, and turned around, jet-black hair flying, leaving the two behind.

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"Rae, you'll never guess what." Arleen said as soon as the teen walked into the room. She seemed worried, but kind of excited at the same time.

"What?" The Raven sighed. She was feeling extremely tiered all of a sudden. Like she had ran for miles without a goal, until she was too exhausted to continue.

"Look what's guarding the mansion!"

Arleen led Raven to the window, and pointed outside into to curtain of darkness. The teen squinted, and saw, with some difficulty, several dozen shapes swarming around on the ground. She couldn't make out what they were, though. . .

"Dementors." Arleen told her.

Dread washed over Raven. If they were to run for it, they would have to face those damned things? She couldn't even push back one! How could she fight what seemed like a hundred of them?

"Good thing you're learning how to fight them!" The little girl pointed out happily.

Decided not to worry her more than she should, Raven nodded, a tight grip of fear clenching at her very heart. Their chances of escape had just fallen.

And they had started out at 0.

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Review please. Hope you liked it!


	14. Dragon

The days melted together. Time became a misunderstood thing as it became harder and harder to tell how much of it had passed since the girls got to the mansion. Every morning, Arleen and Raven would wake up together, they would eat and after, as Raven went to her various lessons, Arleen would spend the day scouting the palace to figure out its secret passages or she would study spells out of books. Raven was doing her best to learn how to repel dementors, because she knew it was the most important part of their escape, however, the monstrous creatures always triumphed over her.

Even though it was very preoccupying matter, Raven had a lot of things to think of atop of everything. It seems that all her teachers were desperately try to wear her out so she wouldn't have the strength to escape. . . but her exhaustion did not prevent her from noticing that Lord Voldemort was barely talking to her nowadays and a sort of tension had crawled heavily into the mansion. Her teachers had a funny way of dealing with this new unspoken stress: they all doubled the danger and toughness of the things they taught her.

Like Macnair so evilly decided to introduce the dumbfounded girl to a very violent Hungarian Horntail. This brings us to our present day.

"What the high Hell is that??" Raven screamed as the giant dragon hatefully spit fire her way. It was chained to the ground, held down by magic and stood high up into the sky, black scales shining. This was the first time and a long time that Raven went outside and she was very disappointed to see it was to face. . . this thing. . .

"That, dear miss Riddle is a Hungarian Horntail. A very dangerous dragon, armed with the longest flame spitting abilities amongst its kind; deadly claws; fangs that can crush steal and a spiked tail that makes it nearly impossible to approach from any angle." Macnair answered softly, smirking a good long way from the snarling beast.

Raven looked terrified. The wand in her hand was shaking. "And what am I supposed to do?" She whimpered.

Macnair actually laughed. The girl turned around furiously to look at him, rage boiling inside of her. She was facing death and all the man could find was to laugh? God, how she hated him!

"But I thought you figured it out already. . . they say you're smart. . ." His eyes shone. She waited for him to continue, jaw clenched. All the time she was listening attentively to the dragon's movements behind her, her eyes darting to see if there were any signs of dementors around. . . maybe they didn't come out at day. . . this trip outdoors could teach her much and she could perfect her escape. "You're going to fight it."

"WHAT?" Raven stopped looking around and fixed her gaze on the man.

"You heard me. The Dark Lord has spoken with me ( he seemed alarmed at the memory) and he has decided that it is time to test your magic skills. He knew that you are capable of incredible outbursts of power and has ordered me to trial them. The dragon is your opponent and you may recall to any magic to defeat him. Go."

Raven turned to face the monster. He rose a good thirty feet into the air, nostrils smoking and red eyes glaring. She had read about dragons; their skin was protected from most magic and it usually took some sic or more wizards attacking at the same time to damage it. She basically had no chance.

The Horntail reared and spit out flames. Raven dodged around them. The game was on.

Thankfully he was chained, so his movements were limited. Indeed, his tail could reach around in any way with its killer spikes, but his neck was attached and immobile, making it impossible for him to look behind. That's where the girl figured she'd find an advantage.

She aimed her wand and screamed her first spell. A jet of light blasted from it and hit the dragon in the left eye, enraging him. He trashed spiting out fire balls in every direction, scorching the grass in the mansion's yard. The forest nearby caught fire and Macnair was forced to conjure spells to extinguish it.

It's tail was hitting the earth, throwing dirt everywhere and Raven had to navigate her way behind the wild dragon. She figured that by going between its legs, it would have less chance to hit her, but it proved to be tricky. She had to be careful not to touch so he wouldn't know where she was.

The Horntail suddenly stopped moving. The girl heard a loud sniffing sound and froze, right under the beast's behind. Could he smell her? Or could he hear her? She moved on the tips of her toes, barely breathing; she glided by his swishing tail, turning around to face his exposed back. . . if only exposed was the right word for it: the hide was as thick as up front with a line of spikes going down from his head to the tip of his tail. Wordless and amazed by the power this monster exhumed, Raven raised her wand nonetheless and was about to call forth the every spell she knew, when a horrifying dread filled her.

She didn't understand what was going on, but as soon as a cold wave hit her and all her joy slipped away, she placed her finger on the feeling. . .

Looking in alarm to her left, she saw a dementor gliding towards her, arms open as if to hug her. Not thinking twice, Raven screamed. . . which was the dumbest thing she could do.

The dragon bellowed, having figured out where she was and began hitting the ground with its tail. He caught her in the arm, one of his spikes piercing her flesh and catching her bone. Raven let out a pained shriek and the dragon answered violently by swinging her over his tail up, pulling her with him by her wounded arm.

The dementor followed her up into the air. The spike dislodged itself from her arm and she flew over the monster's snapping head, landing very heavily near Macnair. The dementor swooped down onto her hungrily, hands groping, as the poor girl screamed insanely, clutching her demolished arm.

She heard people yelling. She heard them running out of the mansion. Just then the dementor's lips pressed to hers.

And everything went black. . . just as something silver and enormous enveloped Raven. . . if this was death than it was better than she had thought. . .

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Cliffy cuz I'm evil. Review or I will write a chapter soon :P


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